On September 1, Wildlife Center President Ed Clark released Bald Eagle #23-0621 back to the wild at Seven Bends State Park in Shenandoah County. A crowd of about 100 people were in attendance. The park was a beautiful release setting, right at the foot of Massanutten Mountain. Ed reported that when the eagle was tossed into the air, the young eaglet caught a thermal that was blowing through, and started circling over the crowd below. The eagle soared thousands of feet high, for about 20 minutes, before it flew out of sight.
Several attendees remarked on the memorable experience; attendee Richard Moore said "It's one of the unique experiences to see that occur. I was astonished by how large the bird is and it's one of those memories that will stick with me forever." DWR Conservation Police Officer Shaw was able to attend and said, "This was the icing on the cake -- I started this job to help and protect wildlife, and to actually see an eagle be released at the very end of my career was one of the highlights of my career. It was really exciting to see him take off."
Bald Eagle Release in the News:
Wildlife Center releases young eagle in Seven Bends, WMRA
To Fly Again, The Northern Virginia Daily