From frailty to flight, the healing of a bald eagle
Bald Eagle Release
It took her quite awhile to make the decision to leave her transport carrier, but then with a hop and a pause, a couple of skips, and a single sudden whoosh of spreading wings, the splendid bird took flight through the trees towards the water. With audible oohs, aahs and wows from the humans all around, it seems likely everyone watching this stirring event went home that day with a new appreciation for the bald eagle as the great symbol of American freedom.
The adult female bald eagle released at Harlan Lake in August had temporarily lost her own freedom in April the same year, when she was found seriously ill with lead poisoning. When the sick bird was first discovered near Harlan Lake by a private citizen, Nebraska Game and Parks officer Rich Routh was called to her side, and he in turn contacted Raptor Recovery Nebraska in the hope they could save her. They did. After four months of concentrated attention to her medical and social needs, she is now free in the wild once again.
Adult bald eagles measure three or more feet high, weigh eight to 15 pounds, and have wingspans of six to eight feet, with females being slightly larger than males. The life span of wild bald eagles can be up to 30 years, although some have lived up to 50 years in captivity. In normal flight, they travel 20 to 60 miles per hour. They dive at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour.
The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission says the recovery of the bald eagle all across America has given more people in our state the opportunity to watch these majestic birds. More than 1,000 bald eagles spend the winter in Nebraska during their annual migration.
Bald eagles can be found all across the Chicken Dance Trail region and in abundance at Harlan County Lake, generally from early December to February. An average of 150 bald eagles are counted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Harlan Lake on a single day each year in January, and over 400 were counted there on a single day a few years ago. The eagles come to the lake to feed, following waterfowl on their own annual migrations and hunting fish below the Harlan County Dam.
The bald eagles wintering in Harlan County have "roost trees" at a number of locations all around the lake where they congregate in groups each night, leaving very early in the morning to hunt. Local birdwatchers say Patterson Harbor and the area below the dam are the best viewing spots.
Raptor Recovery Nebraska, Inc., which successfully treated and released the bald eagle at Harlan Lake this year, is a non-profit organization based in Lincoln with more than 60 licensed volunteers around the state who can receive and transport injured raptors. Their mission is to provide care and support for injured and orphaned raptors in preparation for release; to assist in the management of raptor populations and raptor research; and to enlist public support for raptor conservation through education programs, displays and special events utilizing live raptors as ambassadors for their kind.
Founded in 1976, Raptor Recovery Nebraska has to date rescued and treated over 8,000 raptors from across the state, with nearly 50% being able to be released back into the wild, among the highest success rates in the nation.
For those of us recently watching the heart-lifting release of the great eagle at Harlan Lake, though, even one such rescue and recovery is more than enough to justify their mission.
Pat Underwood
Director
Harlan County Tourism
Raptor Recovery can be reached at 402-994-2009 or visited at www.raptorrecoverynebr.org
About the Chicken Dance Trail
The Chicken Dance Trail is actually a collection of great bird watching locations in southwest and south central Nebraska, between the Platte and Republican Rivers. Because the area includes the narrowest section of the hourglass-shaped Central Flyway, the Chicken Dance Trail is uniquely situated for birders. Millions of different birds come through here during spring and fall migrations, making the Chicken Dance Trail one of the best places in the country to see a wide variety of species in a relatively small area.
Our bird watching sites were developed by local naturalists and birding experts and are collected into a series of bird watching “adventures” which are described in detail, along with interactive maps, on our Web site at www.chickendancetrail.com. Other resources include a birding chart, useful birding links, and guides to restaurants, lodging and activities in the area.
Our wildlife and bird watching sites were developed by local naturalists and are collected into a series of “adventures” which are described in detail, along with interactive maps, on our Web site at www.chickendancetrail.com. Other resources include a birding chart, useful links, and guides to restaurants, lodging and activities in the area.
Come and visit and learn why we say, “Birds love this part of Nebraska...and you will too!”
Special Thanks to:
Nebraska Game and Parks, Birds of Nebraska
www.ngpc.state.ne.us/wildlife/guides/birds/findbirds.asp