Bald Eaglet #20-0803

Admission Date: 
May 4, 2020
Release Date: 
August 12, 2020
Location of Rescue: 
Virginia Beach, VA
Cause of Admission / Condition: 
Fell from nest
Patient Status: 
Patient Archive
Released

On May 4, the sibling to Bald Eaglet #20-0744 was admitted from Virginia Beach. The young female bird was on the ground, unable to fly -- and had likely fledged from the nest too soon. 

The young eaglet was bright, alert, feisty, and strong; she was slightly thin and had feather lice, but otherwise had no issues or injuries. Dr. Karra treated the young eaglet for feather lice and placed it in a crate in the Center's Holding room for the night. As soon as the feather lice are gone, the young bird will be reintroduced to her sibling, as well as adult Bald Eagle #20-0172. 

According to Reese Lukei with the Center for Conservation Biology, the parents of this eaglet are an older pair of Bald Eagles. CCB biologists first noted them nesting together in Virginia Beach in 2009, making them at least 17 years old. From 2009 to 2020, the pair of eagles produced 23 chicks; 2013 was the only year that they had no offspring. 

Patient photo by Reese Lukei

Your donation will help provide care to this young Bald Eagle -- and 3,000 other patients that the Center will treat this year. Please help!

Updates

August 12, 2020

Bald Eaglets #20-0744 and #20-0803 were released on August 12 back in Virginia Beach. Wildlife Center president Ed Clark reported that both birds flew off beautifully. 

Prior to release, Reese Lukei, from The Center for Conservation Biology, banded both birds with federal and state research bands. Bald Eagle #20-0833, a female, now has a band with letters "RZ"; the smaller young eagle is now "SA". 

Photos by Jim Yanello: 

Bald Eagle Release in the News: 

Wildlife Center of Virginia releases two bald eagles in Virginia Beach, WTKR

July 8, 2020

This past week, two of the young Bald Eaglets of 2020 -- #20-0744 [purple wing bumpers] and #20-0803 [pink wing bumpers] were moved back to flight pen A3, after some repairs were made to the lofted nest area. The two birds started a daily exercise procedure with the rehabilitation staff; currently, the birds are flying back and forth just a few times to start to slowly build their stamina. 

June 25, 2020

The eaglets in the A3 flight pen have been doing well during the past months; the birds have become more and more active as they've grown. This weekend, the four eaglets will be moved to flight pen A2 so that some repair work can be done on the eagle loft area next week; once the repairs are done, two eagles will be moved back to A3, and two will remain in A2. This will allow the growing birds to utilize more space during regular daily exercise in preparation for their late summer release. 

June 2, 2020

All four Bald Eaglets are doing well in the large A3 flight pen. The newest eagles, #20-1128 [lime green bumpers] and #20-1129 [no color of bumpers] fledged from the tower over the weekend, and are exploring their larger area. The other eaglets, #20-0744 [purple bumpers] and #20-0833 [pink bumpers] are making short flights and hanging out on higher perches with adult Bald Eagle #20-0172. The eaglets will start a daily exercise program once they are older and all of their flight feathers have grown in; typically, young eagles are released toward the end of summer. 

May 19, 2020

The two Bald Eaglets are doing well and growing in the A3 flight enclosure loft; the birds are confined to this space while they grow in their many flight feathers and start becoming more active. Bald Eaglet #20-0744 -- the male -- is marked with purple protective wing bumpers; his sister, #20-0803, has pink protective wing bumpers. Both birds are eating rats and fish and have gained weight since arriving at the Center. 

Share This Page