Special Report: Bald Eagles 2008-2017
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The Wildlife Center of Virginia Special Report BALD EAGLES 2008-2017 “Buddy” 2008 The first phone call – in May And that’s when the calls 2008 – was from the Virginia really started coming in. Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF). During the next few days, hundreds of concerned eagle There was a young Bald fans contacted the Center – by Eagle in a nest at the Norfolk phone, by email, by mail, in Botanical Garden – a hatchling person – to try to figure out that had attracted an what was going on with “their” The pox lesion stopped international fan base through eaglet. Callers had LOTS of growing, started shrinking, and a web-based EagleCam hosted suggestions for the eagle’s ultimately fell off. by WVEC-TV. Some sharp-eyed medical treatment, housing, Cam watchers had noticed dietary preferences, etc., On July 12, Center something on the side of the etc. But mostly – they called veterinarians operated on eagle’s beak – and it seemed to because they cared … and were the eagle – to clean out the be growing. The State Wildlife concerned. remnants of the lesion and Veterinarian was planning to to repair damage to bone go to Norfolk to examine the Upon admission, #08-0887 and beak tissue. To assist, eagle. If necessary, would the was given a complete physical the Center flew in Dr. R. Wildlife Center of Virginia be examination, including Avery Bennett, a board- able to care for the bird? radiographs and a battery of certified veterinary surgeon blood tests. On May 24, the and Professor of Veterinary On May 22, Nuckols Tree Care eaglet was taken to a nearby Clinical Medicine at the College used a bucket truck to retrieve “human” hospital for an MRI. of Veterinary Medicine at the eagle from its nest – up the University of Illinois at about 90 feet in a loblolly pine Tests ultimately determined Urbana-Champaign – a world- – and lower him to the ground. that the eagle had Avian Pox. renowned surgeon. The DGIF Wildlife Veterinarian The growth on the side of the examined the eaglet and eagle’s beak was a large pox And then the waiting game made the call to have him lesion. There is no cure for began. For the next 15 months, taken to the Wildlife Center in this pox; Center veterinarians Center vets monitored the Waynesboro. began intensive supportive bird’s health and development. care to strengthen the eaglet’s Every two or three weeks, vets Upon admission, the eagle was immune system. The bird was trimmed the eagle’s beak, in assigned Patient #08-0887 – treated with antibiotics and the hope that #08-0887’s beak the 887th patient of the year at anti-fungal medications to would ultimately grow out the Center. prevent secondary infections. straight. 2013 2014 2012 2 2010 Photo Courtesy of 2 011 2009 Jim Deal Despite this all-out effort, the to spread his wings, provides Cam, the Wildlife Center’s damage had been done – the appropriate all-weather web-based live cam feed. pox lesion had scarred the shelter and a good training Buddy is now a regular “guest” underlying growth plate of environment, and great public on Critter Cam – most often the beak, and the eagle’s beak visibility. on Channel 1. Buddy’s fans can would forever be misaligned. watch him eat, bathe, stretch, In August 2009, the Center Buddy made his first official preen, sun, and play – one of announced that the bird could off-site public appearance on his favorite toys is a box of not be returned to the wild. May 5, 2012 – appropriately rocks. [No, seriously.] enough, at the Norfolk On April 27, 2010 – the Botanical Garden Eagle Cover Photo of Buddy, courtesy eagle’s second hatch-day – Fest. Since then, Buddy has of Shelly Hokanson. the Center made the formal appeared across Virginia – with announcement that #08-0887 Jack Hanna at the Paramount would become a permanent Theater in Charlottesville resident at the Center, joining [twice] … Great Bridge Primary the team of wildlife education School in Chesapeake … a 2017 animals. Stonewall Brigade concert in Staunton … the Virginia State And the Center also announced Fair [two years] … the annual that the eagle’s name would be Riverfest event in Waynesboro Buddy. [three times] … and at the Center’s Annual Gala [three In September 2011, Buddy times]. moved into his spacious new enclosure – a structure paid And in December 2012, Buddy for through the sale of the resumed his position as an Garden of Eagles calendar. This online “star” when he made “palace” gives Buddy space his first appearance on Critter Photo Courtesy of Shelly Hokanson 2015 2016 3 “The Rock Stars” On April 27, 2011 – Buddy’s third hatch-day On July 27, a blistering hot summer day, a – three of his siblings were admitted to the crowd of more than 1,000 gathered at the Wildlife Center. Like Buddy, they were hatched historic Berkeley Plantation on the James River in the nest at the Norfolk Botanical Garden and, below Richmond for a quintuple eagle release – like Buddy, they were known to cam-watchers unprecedented in the Center’s history. One by far and wide. On April 26, their mother – “Mom one, the five eagles were released and, to the Norfolk” – was struck and killed by a plane at gasps and cheers and applause of the crowd, all the Norfolk airport. DGIF officials determined flew off fine. that the eaglets’ best chance of survival was to have them cared for at the Center. Wildlife Well, except for NX. Center staff quickly constructed a nest for housing the eaglets … and also quickly set up NX flew out over the crowd, but soon landed Critter Cam, so that web-cam watchers could in the brush. DGIF biologists and Center staff continue to check in on the eagles. spotted her and found her to be tired and stressed. The decision was made to take NX The eaglets were assigned Center Patient back to the Center to spend more time in the Numbers #11-0474, 0475, and 0476, but they flight pen. were also known by their leg band letters – NZ, NX, and NV. The eaglets received a complete Fast forward to August 30 – NX was back at physical examination and were found to be in Berkeley Plantation for release. Center President good shape. Ed Clark launched NX up into the air … she flew across a field, made a u-turn, and ultimately The three eagles spent the next three months flew about 15 to 20 feet up in a tree. in outdoor enclosures at the Wildlife Center, where they grew and learned to fly. By mid-July, Through the transmitter, we were able to track the Center’s team determined that they were NX. In the days right after her release, NX stuck ready to be returned to the wild, along with two close to Berkeley … but she then ventured north other hatch-year eagles also under the Center’s and east to the lower Potomac River. care. One of the Norfolk eaglets – NX – was to be outfitted with a tiny transmitter, which would On December 2 – about three months after her allow researchers – and eagle fans – to track her successful release – NX was back at the Wildlife post-release travels. Center, as a patient. On December 1, she NX NZ 4 “The Rock Stars” was found in the middle of the road near the Ophelia Post Office [Northumberland County]. The Center’s veterinary staff found injuries that suggested that NX had been hit by a car. NX spent months recuperating and slowly built up her flight skills in the Center’s outdoor pens. On May 16, NX was taken to the Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge – not far from the spot of her December 2011 rescue – and released back into the wild. Ed Clark reported that NX flew 75 yards into a tall tree, sat there for a few minutes, and then flew through the woods, over an estuary, into the forest, and out of sight. Transmitters used to track Bald Eagles are generally expected to last about two years. For whatever reason, NX’s transmitter provided data transmissions fairly regularly for five years. NX was mostly a “homebody” after her May 2012 release. She generally reported in from the Northern Neck – the peninsula between the Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers – although she occasionally ventured to northern Virginia [Quantico area] and into Maryland. Favorite hangouts included Rosier Creek [a Potomac tributary just north of Colonial Beach] and Machodoc Creek in King George County. Her last check-in came on September 8, 2016 – back on Rosier Creek. Release of NZ by Center Veterinary Fellow Miranda Sadar. Photo courtesy of Jim Deal. Release of NX by Ed Clark on August 30, 2011. Photo courtesy of Bob Mislan. 5 “HK” Sadly, not all stories have the ending we hope and work for. On September 1, 2017, the Wildlife Center admitted another Bald Eagle from the Norfolk Botanical Garden nest, and another full sibling of Buddy. This eagle was a banded male – HK – who was well-known in the eagle community. HK hatched in 2009; he had built a nest at the Honey Bee Golf Club in Virginia Beach and was often spotted and photographed there. HK was struck by a vehicle near the golf course. Center vets found a number of injuries – the most significant was a fracture of the eagle’s right tarsometatarsus [lower leg] near the hock joint. On September 5, Dr. Ernesto Dominguez, the Center’s Hospital Director, took HK into surgery to pin the fracture.