Took an eagle this afternoon

Jeff Reardon

Jeff Reardon

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Slow day on the bay--only a single bird decoyed, and I missed badly with two shots. But as I was pulling away from the landing in my truck, I saw a bald eagle sitting in the field next to the road. When it didn't move as I pulled up within 10 feet of it, I knew something was wrong. Somehow it had broken a wing pretty badly.

I made a quick call to the Maine Warden Service, and they hooked me up with a local bird rescue outfit called Avian Haven. Within a half hour the local warden and his son and two friends who live up the street were on site. We circled the eagle, and the warden tossed a jacket over it and grabbed both legs. I tossed another jacket over the head, and he wrestled the bird into a portable dog kennel.

I met one of the volunteers from Avian Haven in a supermarket parking lot and delivered the bird.

I'm afraid the prognosis may not be good. The right wing was nearly torn off its body, and judging by the smell, it was also infected. I should find out how it fared in a day or so.

Even badly injured, a mature eagle is one impressive bird. I had to stop for gas on my way to deliver the bird, and the window in the cage it was in was just above my gas tank. The eye looking out at me was so intimidating I had to cover the cage with a jacket!
 
Worked with raptors a good bit. There are a bunch at the raptor center that survived getting a wing removed. The feet are the weapons to watch. A pair of welding gloves are a good choice when trying to handle them. Cover the head like you guys did and then control the feet.
 
Well done, Jeff. You did your best. When I lived in Alaska I was coming back from a moose hunt on the Kenai and saw a dead bald eagle in the ditch. I know the law forbids one to possess an eagle, however, I took it and put it in the back end of the truck. This was Sunday evening.
On Monday, I had to go teach, so I thought I might as well give the kids in the school a close up look at a bald eagle. Right after school I brought it to the US Fish and Game building and told them what had happened. I was most interested in what caused its death. Never did find out.
Al
 
Avian Haven called a few hours ago and let me know the wing was not repairable. Compound fractures of both the radius and ulna, and it looked like it had been at least 4-5 days since the injury. There was no active infection, but the wounds were full of maggots and some of the tissue was starting to decay.

They need to get formal permission from state or federal authorities, but will probably euthanize the bird on Monday. They did clean up the wounds and the bird is eating and drinking and as comfortable as possible. I guess I was hoping for a miraculous recovery, or at least a bird that could survive and be used in educational programs and eat chicken the rest of its life.

Oh well. At least it's not starving to death in the field with the scavengers circling . . . .
 
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