Passersby rescue injured bald eagle
(Courtesy photo) This bald eagle was injured near Sunnyside last month.
(Courtesy photo) Janie Veltkamp and a Birds of Prey Northwest volunteer adjust the hood on a wounded bald eagle.
(Courtesy photo) This wounded bald eagle is slated to be released along Lake Pend Oreille later this month.
SANDPOINT — An injured adult bald eagle is on the mend after being discovered along the Lake Pend Oreille shoreline at Sunnyside, according to Birds of Prey Northwest officials.
The wounded male eagle was discovered on Sunnyside Road on June 30. Passersby managed to safely corral the national bird despite the fact that it swam into the lake at one point to evade capture.
“Brave women with the right equipment and forward thinking,” Janie Veltkamp of Birds of Prey Northwest said, summing up the rescue effort.
Misadventure involving a motor vehicle is the suspected cause of the eagle’s injuries. Eagles are well known for their fish diets, although they’re not above indulging in less elegant fare, such as a morbidly obese raccoon that should have zigged when it should have zagged while crossing a road with traffic.
“The bald eagle is technically an opportunistic feeder, which means it’s a scavenger. Of course it likes fish, but it will also eat anything to conserve energy,” said Veltkamp.
Veltkamp said illegal shootings and lead poisoning are the leading causes of mortality in bald eagles. Vehicle strikes and electrocutions round out the leading causes of bald eagle deaths. Veltkamp said vehicle strikes figure in prominently because eagles feeding on roadkill often become distracted and logy while dining on a roadside buffet.
“At the last minute they try to get out of the way and a collision occurs,” Veltkamp said.
An X-ray examination of the eagle revealed a previous injury to its wrist and a thigh injury related to the suspected vehicle strike, Veltkamp said.
“It’s a very lucky bird to have survived its first injury let alone its second injury,” she added.
Birds of Prey, a nonprofit, operates using a skilled network of volunteers and permits from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, which requires assiduous adherence to the clinical and scientific regulations for putting eagles back on the wing.
The injured eagle is slated for release later this month.
In addition to reintroducing injured bald eagle and osprey to the skies over the years, Birds of Prey Northwest volunteers in Bonner County recently rescued a pair of red-tailed hawks that were blown out of their nest off Dufort Road near Otts Basin Road.
Bonner County Birds of Prey volunteer Judy Lundak said three infant hawks were blown out of their nest and survived being on the ground for a week
“They are bouncing around now,” Lundak said.
If you find a downed raptor or owl
- Call the Idaho Department of Fish & Game
- Only handle the bird if you are instructed to do so
- Do not feed a raptor, especially if it’s young
- Plastic animal crates work better than wire mesh
Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.