Yep, on Monday the 19th I got a call from folks on a neighboring farm who said their nephews had found a “large bird” while putting up a deer stand. They saw movement in the brush and upon investigation, found the downed bird.

My guess during the phone conversation was that they’d found a female red tail, as they can be quite big; at any rate, I told them to go ahead and bring me the bird, if they could; if not, I’d come get it. They were willing to bring it, so when they drove up I headed out the door, fully expecting to see an injured red tail.

When I looked into the back of their truck, my jaw dropped. Their "large bird" was an immature bald eagle, sitting back on its butt, legs splayed in front with feet balled. As soon as I got my jaw off the ground, I gasped, “That’s not a hawk; that’s a bald eagle!”

After a cursory examination that showed no obvious signs of physical injury, I whipped out my cell phone to call raptor rehabber Steve Hicks, as I knew I was out of my element on this one, and he got as excited as I was but walked me through what I needed to do to adhere to the very strict federal regulations surrounding eagles.

I was boxing the bird as we spoke, getting it ready to take it Smalley’s for a thorough exam—which, of course, was the next step. It was close to time for the clinic to close, so I called ahead as I loaded up the bird, alerting them that this was an emergency, since it was a bald eagle.

 
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A thorough exam, including x-rays, confirmed no physical injuries—no birdshot, no broken bones, nothing.  Vet Shelley Baumann checked the bird’s eyes for signs of head trauma—again, nothing. As soon as the major physical exam and x-rays were done, I called Steve Hicks and relayed our findings to him, getting suggestions as to other things we night need to look for, but none of the health issues he suggested seemed to be present, either.  Our best guess was that she’d sustained a severe concussion and was still woozy from it, as she seemed alert and aware of her surroundings but was very docile. Another possibility is that she ate something mildly toxic that was still working its way out of her system.

(Special thanks to high school work-study student Brittany Devaney, who works part-time at Smalley’s, for taking charge of my camera and documenting this lady’s vet visit while Shelley and I concentrated our efforts on the bird.)

 
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After securing the necessary paperwork from Smalley’s to document that they’d seen the bird for me and sent her back home with me for transfer to Steve Hicks, I took her home and waited for Steve and Angie to pick her up—federal regs required that she be out of my possession within 12 hours of her vet visit, and they were bringing me another mammal release cage that wouldn’t fit in my car, so we couldn’t meet halfway per our usual practice.
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When they arrived, Steve decided that based on the size of her head and feet, she was female; FWS permits supervisor Resee Collins, after seeing photos, agreed and added that she was a second-year bird and was large, even for a female. Beak to tail, this gargantuan lady is just under three feet, and her wingspan is around 80 inches—that’s just under seven feet. Her signature white head won’t come in for another two years.  

As of this afternoon, Steve reports that she’s eating well and very alert and aggressive so his plan, weather permitting, is to release her this weekend. What a sight that should be!
According to the Georgia DNR website (www.georgiawildlife.org), this year there were 124 occupied bald eagle nesting territories, 98 successful nests and 162 young fledged. The website adds the following information for those who have sighted bald eagles: “Georgians who see a bald eagle nest or two or more eagles together are encouraged to download the form [located] at www.georgiawildlife.com (click “Conservation,” “Species of Concern,” “Bird Conservation” and then “Report Nesting Bald Eagles”). Send the completed form to Jim Ozier, jim.ozier@gadnr.org or Georgia Wildlife Resources Division, Nongame Conservation Section, 116 Rum Creek Drive, Forsyth, GA 31029."
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