Rescued eagle flies free
A young bald eagle rescued by a group of kayakers in Lancaster Township last year was successfully returned to the wild last week.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission on Wednesday announced that two rescued eagles were released to State Game Lands 214 in Crawford County near Pymatuning Reservoir.
The boaters, paddling the Connoquenessing Creek, came across the female eagle on June 19, 2017, said Chip Brunst, state game warden supervisor.
Eagles typically hatch in April and start fledging, or developing the feathers that allow them to fly, in early July. This eagle may have been in the early stages of fledging.
“It could be that she was spreading her wings out, a gust of wings caught her and she fell out of the nest and didn't know what to do,” Brunst said.
Officials also said they believe great blue herons from a nearby heron rookery were picking on it, Brunst said.
The boaters brought the bird to the Lancaster Township police, who contacted Jim Kappler, a local man familiar with the Game Commission officers, Brunst said.
Kappler called Game Warden Randy Pilarcik who took the eaglet to Tamarack Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center in Saegertown, Crawford County.
Animal rehabilitators there determined that it had a bacterial infection and several deformed and damaged feathers.
After 49 weeks, the eagle made a full recovery and was released in the Pymatuning area, where there are numerous eagle nests and a good food supply, Brunst said.
“Pymatuning has plenty of food and there are a lot of eagles already there, so the youngster being in the area will not be noticed as much,” he said.
Nicknamed “Luna,” she experienced extensive feather growth over the last 11 months, according to Tamarack's Facebook page. Tamarack credited Adam Speer with finding the eagle.
The second eagle, an 8½-week-old female, was rescued after its nest was blown down in a storm along Millbrook Road near Jackson Center, Mercer County, on May 4.
Game Warden Tom Jones took the eaglet to the Tamarack center, where it was treated for a broken leg.
Biologist Tim Hoppe and Mark Kahrer, a habitat management worker, scouted out a nest with two eaglets in it that could serve as a foster home for the rescued eaglet. On May 23, Hoppe climbed the tree and pulled up the eaglet wrapped in a blanket to introduce it to the nest.Brunst said that anyone who finds a potentially injured or sick bald eagle in the wild should call the Game Commission. The number for the northwest region office is 814-432-3187.Picking up and transporting an eagle can be dangerous to both the eagle and the person.“Our people are trained in how to handle them and how to transport them. Wing damage and feather damage can happen to them so easily. If you put them in a wire cage, that is hard on feathers,” he said.The Game Commission knows about numerous adult nesting pairs in Butler County. In addition to the one on the Connoquenessing Creek, there are three pairs at State Game Lands 95 near Moniteau High School, two at Moraine State Park and one near Oneida Dam in Oakland Township.There are nearly 300 nesting pairs of bald eagles in Pennsylvania and though they are no longer on the threatened species list, they are still protected by state and federal law.The Game Commission released 88 eagles from Canadian nests between 1938 and 1989 to help replenish their numbers here.One of the eagles introduced in the late 1980s was found dead last year, having lived to the age of 32, Brunst said.
