Wildlife Center of Virginia » Blog Archive » Wildlife Center, US Fish & Wildlife Service Release Bald Eagle

Wildlife Center, US Fish & Wildlife Service Release Bald Eagle

With the timely assistance of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Wildlife Center of Virginia, the nation’s leading teaching and research hospital for native wildlife, has treated and released an adult Bald Eagle – the 21st Bald Eagle admitted to the Center thus far in 2009.

This eagle, likely a female, was first seen on Friday, May 22, being chased by Osprey over the Rappahannock River near Dunnsville [Essex County, Virginia]. The eagle ultimately fell into the river, made its way to the riverbank [while still being harassed by the osprey], but was unable to fly. After several hours, local residents observed that the bird was still on the ground and contacted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Agent Frances Murphey and a team from the Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge [RRVNWR] captured the eagle and took the bird to local wildlife rehabilitator Diana O’Connor. O’Connor found that the bird was soaking wet and sounded raspy and suggested that it be taken to the Wildlife Center in Waynesboro. The USFWS team transported the bird to the Center, arriving at about 11 p.m. on Friday.

Upon admission, the bird was examined by Wildlife Center veterinarian Natalie Hall, assisted by Iga Stasiak, a veterinarian from Canada studying at the Center. The eagle’s feathers were mostly dry but still damp near the skin. The eagle was quiet, bright, alert, in good condition, strong, and fairly large – 4.8 kgs (about 10.6 pounds). All blood tests came back within normal ranges. The bird was treated with fluids and anti-inflammatories.

On Saturday, the bird was placed in one of the Center’s large flight pens. The eagle flew well but tired quickly. The bird was re-examined on Sunday and showed increased stamina. Because of a concern that this bird might be caring for eaglets in the nest, the decision was made to return the eagle to the wild as quickly as possible.

On Monday, May 25 [Memorial Day], the eagle was taken from the flight pen and placed in a well-padded dog carrier. Katie Delk, a vet student from the University of Georgia, and Karla Moreno, a veterinarian extern student from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, drove the bird to a rendezvous spot on I-64 near Richmond, where they transferred the bird to Agent Murphey. The bird was taken back to a spot near where it was rescued. After some initial reluctance to come out of its carrier, the bird flew off – out of sight.

Thus far in 2009, the Center has admitted 22 eagles as patients – 21 Bald Eagles, and one Golden Eagle. During all of 2008, the Center treated 25 Bald Eagles.

The May 22 – May 25 admission-to-release period is one of the shortest ever for a Bald Eagle at the Wildlife Center. An eagle admitted one year earlier – on May 22, 2008 – is still a patient at the Center. That eagle – hatched at the Norfolk Botanical Garden in April 2008 and known to eagle fans worldwide through EagleCam – was admitted on May 22, 2008 with a severe case of Avian Pox.

During 2008, Agent Murphey also assisted in the rescue and release of another Bald Eagle – admitted to the Center on May 8 and released back to the wild on December 11.

It is estimated that the Bald Eagle population of North America numbered about half a million before European settlement. With the loss of habitat, shooting, and the effects of DDT and other pesticides, the U.S. eagle population plummeted. In 1977, there were fewer than 50 Bald Eagle nests in Virginia.

Today, the Bald Eagle population in Virginia is on the rebound. There are now more than 600 active Bald Eagle nests in the Commonwealth.

Every year, about 2,500 animals – ranging from Bald Eagles to opossums to chipmunks – are brought to the Wildlife Center for care. “The goal of the Center is to restore our patients to health and return as many as possible to the wild,” Wildlife Center President and Co-Founder Ed Clark said. “At the Wildlife Center, we treat to release.”

Since its founding in 1982, the nonprofit Center has cared for more than 52,000 wild animals, representing 200 species of native birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. The Center’s public education programs share insights gained through the care of injured and orphaned wildlife, in hopes of reducing human damage to wildlife. The Center trains veterinary and conservation professionals from all over the world and is actively involved in comprehensive wildlife health studies and the surveillance of emerging diseases.

The Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge is the newest of four refuges that make up the Eastern Virginia Rivers National Wildlife Refuge Complex. As of September 2008, a total of 8,191 acres have been purchased or donated by Refuge partners, including 1,660 acres of conservation easements. The Refuge provides critical roosting and nesting habitat for the Bald Eagle and includes Virginia’s largest wintering roost for eagles. In February 2005, for example, 395 Bald Eagles were counted at the Refuge on a single day.