When in doubt, call the WildBird Rehabilitation Center

Birds can surprise you, defying the obvious, the improbable and sometimes the seemingly impossible.

One day in early March of this year, many local residents watched a Bald Eagle resting on the top of a tall tree off the Glenn Highway in Palmer for several hours. The large, obviously female bird was perched with her wing at an uncomfortable angle.

Several of these observers were concerned about her. Calls started coming in to the Alaska WildBird Rehabilitation Center and to on-call volunteers about 3:30 p.m. Initial reports indicated she had been shot. This was a valid assumption, considering her wing position and her location in the tree.

Volunteers from the center arrived at the scene within a few minutes. Close views with binoculars seemed to confirm something was wrong.

Now the question was how to get the eagle down from a 45-foot-tall tree and safely into a travel kennel for the ride to the rehab center and medical care.

Alaska WildBird Rehabilitation Center volunteers first contacted the Palmer Volunteer Fire Department looking for a bucket lift or ladder truck to meet the eagle at her perch. Unfortunately, at that moment, firefighters were dispatched to a major fire.

Volunteers then contacted MEA. Being late on a Friday afternoon, MEA was unable to coordinate the logistics, although it was very willing to help. Alaska Wildlife Troopers did not have hazing equipment available to spook her down to the ground. Even a bird with an injured wing can safely glide to the ground if necessary.

Over an hour into the encounter, our rescuers still did not know how to help this eagle. Their decision was made for them when an ATV drove up. The noise finally did what all the traffic and human activity had not. It spooked the eagle.

Volunteers and observers held their breath as she bailed out of the treetop — and flew. She flew well and far with a wing that had initially appeared to be severely injured, defying the odds.

It’s likely that the eagle had an old injury, and sitting high in the tree in the warm sun she relaxed her wing in the most comfortable position for her. Although she flew well, it could be that she has some pain and on occasion does not fly well. Bald Eagles do not need to hunt to survive. They are effective scavengers and do quite well living in populated areas. In addition, our local eagles are not necessarily migratory so have no need to fly long distances.

A Bald Eagle in the wild can live for up to 20 years. They grow their signature white head and tail feathers during the first five years of life, gradually changing from their mottled brown juvenile plumage. They will not breed until their fifth year, and from then on can form strong pair bonds, returning to the same nest year after year, adding sticks each year until it is so large the nest may fall out of the tree. They raise one or two young each year. The center may care for up to 10 injured eagles in a year. Bald Eagles are one of our largest and most spectacular birds. Anyone seeing one injured is sure to contact the center for help.

Although this bird did not need our help, she might have been severely injured. Thanks to all of the concerned people in our community who took the time to check on the bird throughout the day and to call the center. She would have gotten the help she needed if she had been in trouble. An important lesson learned is that it is vital that the public contact proper help quickly if they see a bird in need. Apparently, there had been observations of the eagle throughout the day. If this had indeed been an injured bird, the late-in-the-day timing made it difficult to get the kind of professional help needed to rescue her.

If you do find an injured eagle, or any other large bird, be sure to call for assistance. Sharp beaks and talons can cause serious injury, and a bird in distress can be very aggressive.

Please call the center — at 892-1670 or 230-7049 — as soon as you see a bird in need. Not all birds that appear to be in distress need us to help them, but we will be happy to check on the bird or help you rescue it if necessary.

The moral of the adventure is that you can never make assumptions when dealing with wildlife!

Thanks to Merle Stewart for providing details on the non-rescue.

Nancy Wade is a member of the Mat-Su Birders and Alaska WildBird Rehabilitation Center. Send birding questions for her column on birding to alaskaflamingo@yahoo.com.