A rehabilitated mature bald eagle was successfully released back to its home near Lake Crosby and Lake Sampson in Starke, Florida, on Jan. 24.
Just after Christmas, Aleathia Morabito, discovered the eagle tangled in moss, hanging upside down in a tall tree. Licensed wildlife rescue volunteer John Fields and neighborhood residents, including Guy DeRoche, retrieved the bird.
Fields transported it to the University of Florida veterinary college. The eagle was severely weakened from its ordeal. After a brief stay at UF where it was given intravenous fluids and stabilized, it was transferred to the Raptor Trauma Clinic at the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey in Maitland, Florida.
At the clinic, the bird was treated with antibiotics for a bacterial infection while regaining its strength in their large flight barn. After a few weeks, staff determined that the eagle was ready to go back to the wild.
It was tagged with a silver U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service band on its right leg that will function similarly to a Social Security number or medical bracelet. Every band placed on a bird by a licensed bander has a unique number that identifies the individual, allowing scientists to procure all the associated data that was recorded when the band was placed, and each time the bird might be recaptured in the future.
Residents on Lake Sampson, with the assistance and guidance of Kaye Lee, Aububon EagleWatch coordinator for Duval, Clay and Nassau counties, conducted an inventory of eagle nests in the area by boat and kayak. They determined that the eagle was most likely the resident of an intact but unoccupied nest on Lake Crosby. Property owners on that lake reported that a single, mature eagle in the area appeared to be searching for its mate. So, it was determined by everyone concerned that the rehabbed eagle would be picked up in Maitland and returned to its probable home on Lake Crosby.
One of the volunteers who was part of the eagle’s original rescue team was Susan Baker, property owner on Lake Sampson. By chance, Jenny Murtaugh, a wildlife biologist from New York state, was visiting the area. Murtaugh has many years of experience handling wild raptors, including eagles. Because of Murtaugh’s qualifications, Audubon authorized the two volunteers to pick up the eagle and drive it from Maitland to Starke. A small gathering of locals and Audubon volunteers were waiting near the Lake Crosby boat ramp when Baker arrived with the resting eagle securely and safely in Murtaugh’s lap.
The eagle was carefully handed over to Gary Grossman, an EagleWatch volunteer, who had recently won an Aububon fundraiser-raffle. His raffle win gave him the rare opportunity of handling and releasing a mature bald eagle. Murtaugh removed its hood and the eagle immediately took flight to the top of a nearby tree. After getting oriented, it flew away in the direction of the nest. Everyone was very pleased with the evident success of the release.
Later in the day, a pair of bald eagles perched in a tree was sighted by Morabito and Nelson Rodriguez, near the location of the rehabbed eagle’s original mishap. One of the eagles had a silver band on its leg.
For help with an injured eagle, call Florida Wildlife Commission at 1-888-404-3922. You will be connected with a rescue group or you can ask for John Fields or Kaye Lee.
Bradford County needs an active EagleWatch monitoring program. If you are interested in participating, visit https://act.audubon.org/a/eaglewatch-volunteerinformation.
