Bald Eagle Intake/Release

This juvenile bald eagle arrived at the Center for Wildlife on September 26th 2005. The young eagle had been discovered on August 19th struggling in a mudflat and was rescued and transported by a Maine game warden to Acadia Wildlife Foundation. Since the eagle was covered in mud, she had to be washed before having a complete exam. Juvenile Bald EagleAcadia’s greatest concern was that the eagle was dramatically underweight at just over 5 pounds (average weight is 8-10 pounds).

Once the bird began eating on her own, she needed a large outside enclosure to practice flying. Acadia’s director, Ann Rivers, called CFW and arranged to have one of our staff pick the eagle up and bring it back to the Center, where she was placed in our 100’ flight enclosure. It took the bird a couple of days before she was able to get up to one of the higher perches, but each day she got a little stronger. After several weeks, she could fly across the enclosure with ease and finally achieved a healthy weight at 10lbs. 5 oz!

The birds release was coordinated with US Fish & Wildlife and Biodiversity Research Institute. The bird was banded and feather samples were taken for mercury testing. Her release at Merry Meeting Bay in Dresden in November went very well and she has had several weeks to interact with other eagles and prepare for winter migration. 

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