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« on: 23-Oct-09, 06:59:51 AM » |
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Giant bird found with soaked wings so heavy it could not fly
The News Journal • October 22, 2009
In the moments before its release, the bald eagle rattled around so much in its beagle-size dog cage that the cage moved from side to side.
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Then, the top was lifted.
"He was just gone," said J.D. Messeck, a seventh-grader at Millsboro Middle School, who assisted with the bird's release Wednesday at the Ingram Pond Outdoor Education Center near Millsboro.
"He just left. You could tell standing next to the cage that he was waiting to get out," he said.
The bird, injured during storms over the weekend, was discovered Saturday morning by hunters in an oak forest near Harrington. The hunters called state Fish & Wildlife officials, who took the eagle to Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research, near Newark.
Bald eagle populations have been on the rise in Delaware.
In 1991, there were less than 10 nesting pairs in the state. Last year, there were 46 occupied nests -- 23 in New Castle County, 14 in Kent County and 19 in Sussex County.
Bald eagle populations declined after the birds were exposed to the pesticide DDT. They were listed as federally endangered in 1967. Once DDT was banned, eagle populations began a slow recovery.
Eagles were removed from the federal endangered species list in 2007.
Wildlife workers gave the bird time to free itself Saturday before coming to its aid.
"Our standard is to give it two hours. Leave it alone," said Douglas Messeck, J.D.'s dad and one of two the agents who responded Saturday.
When Messeck and David Ptak arrived around noon Saturday, it was clear the bird -- he turned out to be a she -- needed help. The bird was soaked and was caught in a tangle of briars, Messeck said.
But catching a bald eagle -- even one that is possibly injured -- is easier said than done. Messeck said Ptak distracted the bird.
"She locked on him with that look," he said.
Meanwhile, Messeck covered her with a blanket, and Ptak carefully untangled and cut the briars. Then, the pair eased her into the dog crate and took her to Tri-State.
"She came out a lot easier than she went in," Messeck said.
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By the time the bird arrived in Newark it was warming up, drying out and a little bit feisty, said Erica Miller, a veterinarian at the rescue center. The bird likely had exhausted itself as it tried to escape from the briars, and it had bruises on its wings, she said.
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But the ride from Harrington to Tri-State allowed the bird time to rest.
"She was full of energy," Miller said.
But the bird was still very wet: "Literally, their feathers weigh so much that they can't get lift," she said.
The bird got food and a good night's rest, and the clinic ran some tests -- including routine blood tests. Most of the blood work came back fine, but one test indicated the bird had been exposed to lead, Miller said.
That isn't an uncommon finding in our area because eagles typically feed on animal carcasses that can be tainted with lead shot, she said.
The bird was treated to remove the lead then released in Tri-State's flight cage.
"By Sunday, the bird was feeling quite feisty," Miller said. "She flew beautifully in the flight cage."
The Tri-State team gave the bird a few more days to regain its strength.
On Wednesday, Ptak brought the eagle to Ingram Pond. Eagles are already common in the area. On Wednesday morning, four adult birds fed on a dead deer in a field and another rested in a nearby tree. The habitat is ideal because it is at the headwaters of Indian River Inlet.
As a bonus, a group of seventh-graders from Millsboro were on a field trip to the Indian River District's outdoor education center on the pond. They got to witness the release.
There was lots of excitement among the students as the bird rose from the cage as soon as the top was removed.
"I've never seen something so majestic up close," said Justin Revel. "You'll probably never see him again."
The bird lifted off, gaining altitude across a cut-over corn field and flew straight to a tree line, landing in one of the tallest trees.
Ashley Buchanan, 14, said she couldn't believe how beautiful the colors were as the bird flew.
"You could feel the wind" come off the wings as the bird took off, said Jediah Custis, 13.
For Indian River School officials, the bird's release was a chance to show a group of students what a bald eagle looks like -- up close.
Messeck said it was a big deal for him, too.
"I've done several captures," he said. But in 19 years "this was my first release."
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