Auduboners in Action: Bald Eagle Rescue in Putnam County
Three of our newest EagleWatchers, Carol McGalliard of Crescent City, and Patti Nielsen and Peggy Williams of Welaka, led the rescue of an injured Bald Eagle in the Welaka State Forest on January 26. Contacted by friends about the injured eagle, these EagleWatchers (and SJRA members) contacted the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey staff about how to capture the eagle and assembled a crew to help.
Carol McGalliard reports that the eagle’s wing was badly injured. Rescuing it was an ordeal that wildlife rescuers often experience as the eagle struggled along a path and through the brush to avoid them. The eagle was weak, had flies on his wound, and had a strong odor — which led the team to conclude he had been in this condition for many hours, if not days.
Patti Nielsen transported the eagle to the UF Small Animal Hospital in Gainesville, where it arrived later that afternoon.
Team members took pictures and videos showing the actual rescue of the eagle using the instructions provided by CBOP’s staff – something we don’t often see on video. Rescuers generally do not have a large enough team to both find and rescue a bird and record the process.
Our heartfelt thanks to all those who were involved in the rescue of this eagle: Lisa Teal, Steve and Mary Stubbs, Bill Miller, Peggy Williams, Patti Nielsen, and Carol McGalliard.
Many, many thanks to Patti Nielson and Mary Stubbs for compiling this helpful video!
More EagleWatchers Needed!
EagleWatch season runs from October to May each year.
St. Johns Regional Audubon members and friends actively participate in EagleWatch, and we are looking for more volunteers. Currently, we have over 20 volunteers watching nests in St. Johns and Putnam Counties, but there are many nest sites that are not being monitored in these counties.
If you are interesting in becoming an EagleWatch volunteer, please go to the attached link:
http://www.eaglewatchflorida.org/signup.html —or — contact Amy Koch at president@stjohnsaudubon.com
The EagleWatch Program
Based at Audubon Center for Birds of Prey, Audubon EagleWatch seeks information about Bald Eagles, active nest locations and possible disturbances or threats to nesting activities. As one of the premier community science programs in Florida, EagleWatch works to protect approximately 40% of the state’s nesting pairs.
Florida has one of the highest density of breeding Bald Eagles in the lower 48 states, only surpassed by Minnesota and Alaska. Although they were removed from the federal list of Threatened and Endangered Species in 2007, Bald eagles are still protected by both state and federal laws.
Their current threats include habitat and nest destruction, collision with vehicles, and territorial fights. With continuing land development, many eagles are choosing to nest on man-made structures such as power line and communication towers. These non-natural nest sites can introduce many hazards to the young eaglets when they fledge.
Here are the objectives of the EagleWatch program:
- Compile data for publication documenting urban nesting activity.
- Emphasize monitoring of urban pairs to record long-term nesting trends.
- Identify potential threats to nesting success related directly or indirectly to human activity.
- Expand Audubon EagleWatch on a statewide basis while generating increased public awareness of our national symbol.
- Educate the community about Bald Eagles and their current threats.
- Assist with the rescue and transport of downed eagles due to accidents or as a result of storms.
For more information on this important program, go to https://cbop.audubon.org/conservation/about-eaglewatch-program