The Wildlife Center of Virginia is currently treating one Bald Eagle patient:

Eagle #09-2531

Photo courtesy of Robin Sexauer

This adult eagle was spotted near the mouth of Nassawadox Creek, along the Chesapeake Bay, in Northampton County.  The eagle had a wing droop and was rescued by Kathy Cummings on December 27.  On December 29 the eagle was transported to the Center by Gay Frazee.  Upon admission, the eagle was assigned Patient # 09-2531.  Center veterinarians found fractures of the major and minor metacarpals in the eagle’s right wing.  The wing was wrapped; the eagle received antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, and pain medication.

[Animals admitted to the Center are given sequential patient numbers - in the order in which they are admitted. Patient #09-2531 was the 2,531st patient admitted to the Center during 2009, out of a total patient count of 2,534 for the year.]

The eagle went into surgery on January 4 to pin fractures and was taken back into surgery on January 5 to get better placement of the pins.  The eagle spent a short time post-surgery in the Center’s critical-care chamber.

Eagle recovering after surgery in the critical care chamber

On January 12 the eagle was moved to one of the Center’s outdoor pens.  The eagle had both a wing and body wrap to immobolize its right wing.  The bird had its first physical therapy session and had good extension of its right wing; physical therapy was scheduled every four days. 

Radiographs of the fracture site taken on February 1 were encouraging.  The pins inserted at the fracture site were removed, and the eagle has great extension of its wing.  On February 16, the figure-8 bandage on the bird was removed; Center veterinarians are encouraged by the extension of the wing and the healing around the fracture. 

On February 22 the eagle was moved to one of the Center’s intermediate outdoor flight pens.  In early March, the eagle was moved up to one of the 100-foot flight pens for more intensive rehabilitation and flight therapy.       

During 2009, the Wildlife Center admitted 40 Bald Eagles — an all-time high for Bald Eagles patients in a single year — and one Golden Eagle.      

NOTE:  A mature Bald Eagle — a female — was spotted on February 28, 2010 on the ground in Charles City County, not far from the James River.  The bird was rescued by J.D. Kleopfer, a wildlife biologist with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.  The eagle was transported to the Center on March 1 and assigned Patient #10-0110 — the eighth eagle treated at the Center during 2010.

Upon admission, Center veterinarians found that the eagle was unable to move its legs; radiographs confirmed that the eagle had a spinal fracture.  The bird was humanely euthanized. 

Dr. Ariane Santamaria-Bouvier and Madis Leivits examining #10-0110.

NOTE:   A mature Bald Eagle was found on April 10, 2009 in Prince George County, in a field and unable to fly more than about 10 feet.  The bird’s flight was described as “flappy” — in that it did not seem to be using one wing.  With the assistance of officers from the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, the eagle was rescued on April 11,  transported to the Wildlife Center, and given patient number #09-0298. 

Upon admission, the bird received a complete examination.  Although the bird was generally in good body condition, many primary feathers on the left wing were broken.  It also appears that the eagle had suffered fractures of the right scapula and clavicle — an old injury [at least two weeks old].  The bird also tested positive for exposure to organophosphates.

On April 14, the Center’s veterinarians more thoroughly examined the eagle’s shoulder, using a fluoroscope.  The vets found reduced mobility in the shoulder, but no arthritic-like changes or complications.

For the next nine months, the eagle was housed in a range of the Center’s outdoor pens and periodically re-evaluated by Center veterinarians.  While the bird showed some initial improvement, by January-February the bird’s condition had deteriorated.  On February 17 the bird was found on the ground, unable to fly.  The eagle was taken into the Center’s clinic, where radiographs found significant issues with the eagle’s right wing.  In addition, the eagle developed a serious bacterial infection.  The eagle was humanely euthanized on February 18, 2009.           

NOTE:  On February 2 the Wildlife Center admitted two Bald Eagles — the sixth and seventh eagles admitted thus far in 2010 [of the 60 patients admitted during 2010 to the Center (as of February 2), seven were eagles].  Both birds came to the Center with serious and untreatable injuries.

Eagle #10-0059 was found on the ground on February 1 near Catlett [Fauquier County].  This adult bird was captured by a Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries officer and transported to the Center on February 2 by the landowner who first spotted the bird.  Upon admission, the Center veterinary team, led by Dr. Elizabeth Daut, found that the eagle was emaciated and had a host of serious injuries — there was an old fracture of its mandible, with bone exposed; the left leg was paralyzed; the eagle was missing a toe and talon on its right foot; its right eye was necrotic; and there were three lead pellets in its gastrointestinal tract.  The bird was humanely euthanized.

Eagle #10-0060 was found three miles north of Lively, VA [Lancaster Co].  The bird — an adult — was found along a road and next to a dead eagle.  The bird was captured by Bob Mathers of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries; he took the eagle to the US Fish and Wildlife Service.  Cyrus Brame of USFWS and Center volunteer Bobbi Monaghan did a relay-transport of the bird to the Center in Waynesboro.

Upon admission, Dr. Daut and the Center veterinary team found that, while the bird was in good condition, the eagle had a fracture of the right humerous and a shattered elbow joint, which could not be repaired [the eagle also had  an injury to its left eye].  Because of its injuries, the bird was humanely euthanized.

Above photos: Dr. Elizabeth Daut and Madis Leivits, Intern for Veterinary Diagnostics, examining the two Bald Eagles.

NOTE:  On January 20 the Wildlife Center received a call about a Bald Eagle that had been struck by an airplane at the Newport News Williamsburg International Airport.  However, the next day airport authorities indicated that no eagle had been found.

On January 26 the airport contacted the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries about an injured Bald Eagle.  Conservation Police Officer George Wilson picked up the eagle and transported it to the Animal Clinic and Wellness Center in Williamsburg.  Dr. Meryl Lessinger examined and stabilized the bird and, in consultation with veterinarians at the Wildlife Center, put the eagle in a figure-eight bandage.  The eagle was transported on January 27 to the Wildlife Center in Waynesboro by VDGIF wildlife biologist Susan Watson.

Upon admission, the eagle [#10-0051] — an adult bird, likely a male, and the fourth Bald Eagle admitted to the Center in 2010 – was examined by the Center’s veterinary team, led by Dr. Elizabeth Daut.  They found an open fracture of the minor metacarpal bone of the eagle’s left wing — an old wound.  Dr. Daut removed some necrotic tissue and bone fragments from the wound.  Radiographs also found some opaque nodules in the bird’s lungs — raising concerns about a lung infection.  The bird received two different antibiotics, antifungal medicine, and pain medications. 

On the morning of Sunday, January 31, the eagle was brought into the clinic.  Just as treatment was finished, the eagle started throwing up fluids and showing respiratory distress.  He was tubed and epinephrine was administered, but the eagle could not be revived.

Dr. Elizabeth Daut [left] and Licensed Veterinary Technician Leigh-Ann Horne examining #10-0051

NOTE:  On January 28 the Center admitted its fifth Bald Eagle patient of 2010 — a small adult female found near Oak Grove in Westmoreland County by a crew working for Northern Neck Electric.  The bird was picked up on January 27 by VDGIF Conservation Police Officer Tyler Bumgardner, who transported the eagle to Merry Maxwell, Deputy Wildlife Refuge Manager of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge.  Maxwell and Center volunteer Bobbi Monaghan did a relay-transport of the eagle to the Center’s clinic in Waynesboro.

The Center veterinary team found that the eagle [Patient #10-0055] was very thin and had suffered a severe, non-repairable traumatic injury [perhaps five to seven days earlier?] to the patagium ligament of the right wing.   The eagle was humanely euthanized. 

NOTE: On Saturday, January 23 the Center admitted its third Bald Eagle patient of 2010 — an adult bird found in a bush in Caroline County.  Upon arrival, Center veterinarian Dr. Ariana Santamaria-Bouvier found that the eagle [Patient #2010-0046] had a very severe injury to its right foot [perhaps injuries from a leg trap?].  Due to the severity of the injury, the bird was humanely euthanized.

NOTE:  On January 20 Dinwiddie County Animal Control picked up an adult Bald Eagle near the intersection of Claiborne Road and Butterwood Road.  The eagle was taken to wildlife rehabilitator Lisa Barlow and was housed overnight by Reese Lukei of the Center for Conservation Biology.  Reese tracked down the band number on the eagle and determined that the bird, likely a male, was banded in spring 1985 in Richmond County on the Rappahanooack River near Tappahannock.  Reese labeled this bird a “pioneer eagle”. 

The eagle was transported to the Wildlife Center on January 21 by transporter Bobbi Monaghan.  Upon admission, the eagle [Patient #2010 -044] was examined by Dr. Elizabeth Daut.  She found a significant, large old soft-tissue wound on the left wing, in the mid-shaft area of the wing.  Dr. Elizabeth describes the tissue as leather-like and necrotic.  Because this injury is not reversible or treatable, the bird was humanely euthanized.

Dr. Elizabeth Daut [left] and Center wildlife rehabilitator Suzy Doell examining #2010-044.

NOTE:  On January 10 the Center admitted its first Bald Eagle patient of 2010 — an adult bird that had been found, on the ground and unable to fly, on Port Isobel Island in the Chesapeake Bay [Accomack County].  Upon admission, the Center veterinary staff found that the eagle had multiple, serious injuries — to its eyes, beak, chest, and feet.  The bird was humanely euthanized.

NOTE:  On December 29 the Center admitted its 39th Bald Eagle of 2009 — a large adult female that was found by hunters in Essex County.  Upon admission, Center veterinarians found that Eagle #09-2530 had very high levels of lead.  Subsequent radiographs found two large [1 cm] pieces of buckshot in the eagle’s gastrointestinal tract — the apparent source of the lead poisoning. 

On December 30, Dr. Elizabeth Daut, assisted by Natalia Deveaux and Madis Leivits, set out to remove the buckshot.  The first hour-long attempt with an endoscope was not successful; Dr. Daut then operated [a ventriculotomy] and successfully removed the two pieces of buckshot.  Center President Ed Clark postlates that this lead shot was injested by the eagle when it scavenged the carcass of a deer that had been shot. 

Despite the successful surgery, the eagle continued to decline and continued to show neurological signs associated with exposure to lead.  On the afternoon of January 6, the eagle was placed in the Center’s critical-care chamber, which provides increased oxygen concentration and warm temperatures.  The eagle was found dead in the chamber on the morning of January 7.   A necropsy confirmed that there was no infection or complications at the site of surgery.

Additional information on Eagle #09-2530 and lead toxicity from Dr. Dave McRuer

NOTE:  On December 3 the Center admitted its 38th Bald Eagle patient of 2009 — an adult eagle, likely a male, found along a road in Hardy County, West Virginia.  Upon admission, Center veterinarians found significant soft-tissue swelling in the eagle’s left shoulder.  The bird received fluids, antibiotics, anti-inflammatory and pain medications, and an iron supplement.   

During the next few weeks, the swelling of the left shoulder did not decrease and in fact seemed to increase.  The eagle’s wing was bandaged to restrict movement, and the eagle received pain medication, anti-inflammatories, antibiotics, and medicine for parasites and also received a second iron injection. 

The eagle died on the afternoon of December 15.  Center veterinarians conducted a necropsy, focusing on the swelling in the left shoulder.  Dr. Elizabeth Daut has postulated that the eagle might have suffered some sort of injury to the left shoulder, which then became severly infected.   Results from additional lab work may provide additional insights.  

Middle photo: Dr. Elizabeth Daut [left] and Center Wildlife Rehabilitator Dani Stumbo examining the eagle.  Right photo: Radiograph of the eagle’s injured left shoulder. 

NOTE:  On November 26 [Thanksgiving Day] the Center admitted its 37th  Bald Eagle patient of 2009.  This bird — an adult male — was found at the Whippernock Marina on Lake Chesdin, near Sutherland in Dinwiddie County, VA.  Upon admission, the Center’s vet staff found that the eagle was very thin, had numerous fresh skin wounds on the top of his head, an injury to his right eye, and a fracture in his left leg that had healed.  Blood tests found very low levels of red-blood cells and protein.  Radiographs confirmed that the eagle had been shot; there was a shotgun pellet in the thoracic cavity and metal fragments at the fracture site on the leg.  The eagle’s condition continued to worsen, and the eagle was humanely euthanized on November 27.   

NOTE:  On October 19 the Center admitted an immature Bald Eagle [patient 09-2338] first spotted on October 18 near Garden Creek in Mathews County, caught in some briar bushes. Upon admission, the Center’s veterinarians found significant lesions around the eagle’s eyes — lesions consistent with Avian Pox.    The eagle was small, with a weight of 2.12 kgs, and slightly emaciated and had a serious infestation of lice.  The eagle received fluids and anti-inflammatory drugs, Itraconozole [an anti-fungal medication], and Ivermectin [an anti-parasite drug].  The eagle received echinacea drops; the pox lesions are being washed with Betadine [to treat any secondary infections].  Based on its size and behavior, the vet staff believes that this is an eagle hatched earlier this year.

The eagle was housed in the Center’s isolation suite, in the unit donated by members of the Norfolk Eagle Support Team International.

During the next few weeks, the eagle showed mixed improvements.  There was no spreading of pox lesions to other areas, and some of the pox lesions on the eagle’s face receded.  However, the eagle’s energy level fluctuated and the bird sometimes did not eat on its own.

On November 10, the eagle was moved to an outdoor isolation unit, in the hope that the reduced stress of being outdoors [less noise, less interaction with humans, etc.] might get this bird to again eat on its own.   

Bloodwork on 09-2338 on November 11 and 12 found that the bird was severely anemic, with low white blood cell counts and high protein levels [two indications of an immune response to infection].  On November 12, the eagle received an iron injection and was moved back into the indoor isolation unit. 

On the afternoon of November 15, the eagle was once again handfed; the eagle then began open-mouth breathing [a sign of stress] and held his head low.  The eagle was found dead later in the afternoon. 

NOTE:  On October 27, the Wildlife Center an adult eagle that had been spotted on the ground at Colonial National Historic Park in James City County.  The eagle was picked up by Assistant Chief Ranger Steven Willliams and transported to Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries eagle biologist Sergio Harding, who brought the eagle to the Center in Waynesboro.

The eagle was assigned patient number 09-2415 and examined by the Center’s veterinary staff.  They found severe soft tissue trauma — an old injury — with paralysis of the right leg.  The eagle was humanely euthanized. 

NOTE:  On October 19 Dr. Dave McRuer and Amanda Nicholson transported Bald Eagle #08-1772, a non-releasable bird, to its new home with the Eagle Mountain Sanctuary in Tennessee.  Affiliated with Dollywood, the sanctuary includes a 30,000-square foot aviary that houses the nation’s largest presentation of non-releasable Bald Eagles.  

NOTE:  On October 10, 2009, the Wildlife Center admitted Patient #09-2365.  This bird was rescued from near King’s Dominion in Hanover County and brought to the Center by Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries Conservation Police Officer Wayne Weller.  Upon admission, the eagle — an adult — received a complete physical examination.  Center veterinarians found an open fracture in the eagle’s right humerous; they also found an old fracture in the bird’s left leg that had stabilized and healed.

On October 12, Center veterinarians prepared the eagle for surgery to pin the wing fracture, anesthetizing the bird and removing some feathers.  During this procedure, the eagle’s heart rate twice plunged to an alarmingly low level, and the procedure was cut short.  The eagle went back into surgery on October 13.  Center veterinarians found that the humerous had been badly fractured and could not be pinned as originally planned.  During this second surgery, the bird’s heart rate again fell, and the veterinary staff was unable to revive the eagle. 

NOTE:  On October 2, 2009, the Wildlife Center released Patient #09-1221, a female adult Bald Eagle, at Westover Plantation — the 11th Bald Eagle released by the Center during 2009.  Additional information. 

NOTE:  On September 18, the Wildlife Center released Patient #09–0738, a juvenile Bald Eagle, at Westover Plantation.  Additional information.

NOTE:  On September 9, the Wildlife Center admitted Patient #09-2180, an adult Bald Eagle from Mathews County.  The bird was first taken to the Peninsula Veterinary Associates and stabilized; the bird was transported to the Wildlife Center by NESTI volunteers Bobbi Monaghan and Roseann Coon.   The bird was examined by Drs. Dave McRuer and Elizabeth Daut.  The eagle was in poor condition upon admission — the bird was resting on its sternum, with minimal wing movement and limited leg movement.  Center veterinarians found a spinal separation, bruises, and wounds in the eagle’s abdobmen — wounds consistent with some form of blunt trauma [e.g., hit by a car].  Center vets found NO evidence that this bird had been shot.  The decision was made to euthanize the bird.

NOTE:  On September 7, the Wildlife Center released Eagle #09-1671 at Westover Plantation.  Additional information 

NOTE:   On October 29, 2008, the Center admitted an adult male Bald Eagle from the panhandle region of West Virginia.  The bird was observed along railroad tracks by workers of the Potomac Eagle Tour Train and was rescued by a biologist from the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources and a Potomac Eagle engineer [who waded into the river to retrieve the bird].

At the Wildlife Center, the bird was assigned Patient #08-2337. Upon admission, the bird was in good body condition but had an obvious left-sided wing droop. After a physical exam and x-rays, it was determined that the eagle had a fractured radius very close to the joint and a dislocated left elbow. Due to the chronic nature of the dislocation and the amount of callus material around the joint, it was determined that the wing could not be surgically repaired to the extent needed for full flight, but that the eagle might be able to serve as a non-releasable education bird.

The eagle was brought into the clinic for surgery on October 24 to fuse the elbow joint — an effort to prevent pain associated with chronic dragging of the wing and arthritis. The eagle was under consideration as a possible addition to the “faculty” of resident environmental-education anmals at the Wildlife Center of Virginia.

During July and August 2009, however, the affected elbow slowly became more irritated and swollen.  Staff veterinarians took x-rays which indicated a progressive degeneration of the joint, in addition to a localized bone infection.  Despite anti-inflammatories, antibiotics, joint protectants, and pain medications, the elbow continued to degenerate.  Due to the reduced quality of life and ongoing chronic pain issues, the decision was made to euthanize the bird on August 5.   

NOTE:  On July 30, the Center admitted an adult Bald Eagle [#09-1839], found along the Yeocomico River in Northumberland County on Virginia’s Eastern Shore.  The eagle was transported to the Center by Jeanette Parker of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.  In examining the eagle — quite likely an elderly bird — Center vets found serious and inoperable eye, knee, and foot injuries; the bird was humanely euthanized. 

NOTE:  On July 26, the Center admitted an immature Bald Eagle [#09-1798], spotted on the side of Seaside Road in Cape Charles [Northampton County, on Virginia's Eastern Shore].  The eagle was transported to the Center by NESTI volunteers Bobbi Monaghan and Mike Fowler.  The eagle was examined on admission by Dr. Ariane Santamaria-Bouvier.  While the bird was in generally good body condition, it had blood in its trachea and was full of flat flies.  The eagle was treated with fluids, meloxicam [an anti-inflammatory] and ivermectin [an anti-parasitic drug].

On July 28, radiographs found that the head of the eagle’s humerous was fractured — an inoperable injury.  The bird was humanely euthanized.

Dr. Santamaria-Bouvier and #09-1738

NOTE:  On July 25, the Center released three young Bald Eagles – #09-0856, #09-1091, and #09-1148 — at Mason Neck State Park, along the Potomac River in southern Fairfax County.  This was the first triple-eagle release in the Center’s 26+-year history. 

NOTE:  On Sunday, July 19, the Center admitted juvenile Bald Eagle #09-1721.  This eagle had been spotted earlier in the day near Kinsale, in Westmoreland County, on the ground and unable to fly.  The bird was rescued by wildlife rehabilitator Diana O’Connor and transported to the Center by Earl Rogers.

Upon admission, the Bald Eagle received a complete physical examination from Dr. Ariana Santamaria-Bouvier.  The eagle was very weak, not standing, and breathing through an open mouth.  No broken bones or wounds were found, although the eagle had a mouth lesion [maybe candida hyphae].  Center vets suspect some unknown trauma or possible toxicity.  [Lead levels in the eagle's blood were within normal ranges; additional test results are pending].  The eagle receiving anti-inflammatories, anti-fungal medication, fluids, and atroprine [a drug which blocks the effects of organophosphates].   The eagle was housed in the Center’s critical-care chamber, where it received supplemental oxygen.   The eagle died late in the afternoon of July 20. 

NOTE:   On June 26, the Wildlife Center admitted Patient #09-1361, a Bald Eagle rescued from the banks of the James River at Claremont Beach Eagle Bluff, in Surry County.  This adult bird had an old skull fracture, was missing an eye, and had other injuries; the bird was humanely euthanized.

This bird — a 23-year-old eagle — had been banded as a nestling on May 2, 1986.  It was one of a three-chick brood, nesting in a loblolly pine near Toano, Virginia [James City County] just off the Chickahominy River, not far from where the eagle was rescued in June 2009.    [This nesting site was subsequently cleared and no longer supports an eagle nest.] 

The bird was banded under a permit issued to Dr. Mitchell Byrd of the College of William and Mary and was likely banded by his associate Keith Cline. 

In addition to the aluminum band that was recovered in June 2009, a white plastic band had also been affixed to the eagle’s left leg.  That band was not found when the eagle was admitted to the Wildlife Center.

Special thanks to Dr. Bryan Watts, Director of the Center for Conservation Biology at the College of William and Mary, for his help in tracking down banding information on this eagle. 

NOTE: On May 26, 2009, Eagle #09-0766 was released in Essex County, Virginia. 

NOTE: On April 29,  2009, Eagle #09-0315 was released at the Caledon Natural Area in King George County.

The Wildlife Center of Virginia gratefully acknowledges the special financial support of its work with Bald Eagles provided by the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund.

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