Troutbirder II

Troutbirder II
Click on Mark Twain to jump to Troutbirders book review blog

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Eagle Rescue and Release

 
Last week, we got to see something wonderful - an eagle released back to the wild!



On April 14, two male eagles in Wabasha, Minnesota  were found tangled up on the ground. Fortunately, one of the National Eagle Center  staff lives nearby and was able to help with the rescue. A team of neighbors, friends and local law enforcement came together to separate the eagles. Since both eagles were males and nesting season is in full swing, their dispute was likely over nesting territory. 



The eagles were taken to The Raptor Center in St Paul. They found that both of the eagles had puncture wounds from each other's talons, but would survive their injuries. One of the eagles had a 'brood patch', an area of bare skin that birds develop when incubating eggs. Since he was more likely the bird that was defending a nesting territory, he was returned to the same area for release. (The other bird was released near the Twin Cities to avoid another territorial dispute!)

 

See the whole story here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKyO6NH5MsI&feature=youtu.be&utm_source=May+e-blast&utm_campaign=May+2014&utm_medium=email

Another injured and rehabilitated Bald Eagle is Angel.  Unable to fly she lives at the National Eagle Center and does educational work with students and others. I met her wading along the shore of the Mississippi River where she gets to take weekly hikes in the summer with a volunteer. What a sweetheart!  :)

25 comments:

  1. Wow! What a treat to see the eagles released. And thanks to the rehab center, they are going to be all right, I suspect. Love the picture of Angel! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow...What an experience! So glad they were rescued.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow and aren't they just an amazing bird. Too see one so up close must have been quite the thrill. Great photo Thanks for sharing it !

    ReplyDelete
  4. the Raptor Center does a great job. Eagles are not my fav bird cause they are always looking for a meal:(

    ReplyDelete
  5. Beautiful birds, but they look so cranky.

    ReplyDelete
  6. What a fun experience. I have seen more staying in my area this year.

    ReplyDelete
  7. They are really something else--so special!

    ReplyDelete
  8. So neat to be so close to one of those magnificent creatures.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Lucky, lucky you to see such an amazing thing. How smart that they released them in separate areas. Sure hope Momma fared all right while he was being treated.

    ReplyDelete
  10. What a story! So glad they were treated and released.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thank goodness for the U Raptor Center and the The Wildlife Rehab.
    They do such wonderful work here in Minnesota!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thank goodness for those who care about birds. I get quite upset if I see one injured,

    ReplyDelete
  13. How nice to help take care of these majestic critters. Birds can be so territorial.

    ReplyDelete
  14. You were lucky to witness that. It used to be very rare to even see an eagle, much less to see it returned to the wild. Now they seem to be everywhere...even in the open at the Zoo in Tampa where I was last week.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Happy endings made possible by dedicated, caring, giving people.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Amazing.
    What a grand adventure for you.
    We visited the National Eagle Center a few years ago. It is a great place, very well done for kids.
    Thank you for sharing.
    Carla

    ReplyDelete
  17. Goofy eagles---fighting to the death like that! It's a good thing that someone came along to help. Nice that you got to see them released.

    ReplyDelete
  18. The eagle must be really happy to be going back to mother nature.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Are the birds banded before release? Maybe I missed that info in your post. Watched the eagle release. Wonderful commitment of the staff and volunteers. thanks for the nice video. -- barbara

    ReplyDelete
  20. I just saw a full sized eagles nest for the first time. It was insane. Probably 15 to 20 feet. Loved this.

    ReplyDelete
  21. It's wonderful that both of the eagles were rescued and it was possible to release them again.

    ReplyDelete
  22. What a great reunion that must have been for the nesting eagle. so happy to meet with you here once again!
    Hope you and family are all well!
    Blessings,
    Melanie Ann :)

    ReplyDelete
  23. Nice photo of you with the eagle! That must have been a treat. Interesting story about the 2 eagles having a dispute.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Aren't they the most amazing creatures? So glad they were able to be released, and you got to watch!

    ReplyDelete