Ed Clark (left), president of the Wildlife Center of Virginia, and Dr. Patti Bright (right), the center's vet, remove the rescued raptor from a car to let it loose yesterday at Aulder's Flats in Caledon Natural Area in King George County.

This 28-year-old female bald eagle, which was rescued from Point Mathias in King George County in July, was released back into the wild at Caledon Natural Area yesterday afternoon. The Wildlife Center of Virginia treated the bird's injured wings.

The 28-year-old female eagle soars above Caledon Natural Area in King George County after being released yesterday afternoon by the Wildlife Center of Virginia.

-

Release of bald eagle at Caledon Natural Area in King George 'a Christmas miracle'

Date published: 12/9/2005

By CATHY DYSON

Yesterday's release of a bald eagle--back to the same general area where it was injured six months ago--looked like a scene out of a movie.

Even the main character seemed to follow a script.

When the female eagle was released from the arms that held her, she flapped her massive wings, circled a few times and landed on the highest perch around at Caledon Natural Area in King George County.

And there she sat, atop a hardwood tree, in all her majestic splendor.

The sky was blue, the air was crisp and the moment was nothing short of awesome to those who care for injured animals--as well as those who appreciate their natural beauty.

"For a bird this old to get this kind of second chance, it really is a Christmas miracle," said Ed Clark, president of the Wildlife Center of Virginia in Waynesboro.

The female eagle was brought to the center six months ago after a game warden found her near Point Mathias in King George.

She couldn't fly because of a chronic infection in her elbow joint. Birds can't tolerate any kind of injury there, Clark said.

"They don't fly with a limp," he said.

Center officials initially didn't know how old the bird was, but realized she was female--because of her large size--and guessed she was in her late teens.

Eagles get their brilliant bright white heads when they're 5. After that, it's hard to gauge their age, except by their amount of wear and tear, Clark said.

This one has some "really gnarly feet," he said.

And an attitude.

Every time center workers opened her cage, she lunged at them, said Dr. Patti Bright, the center's vet, who oversaw her care. Workers didn't know how she'd fare and discussed various options, even euthanization.

"But the way she was such a fighter, we thought she has to be given a chance," Bright said.

The vet operated on the eagle and implanted antibiotic beads into the joint. That released medicine directly into the site of the infection.

As the bird healed, center officials made plans to set her free at Caledon. The park has 2,579 acres, including 31/2 miles of shoreline along the Potomac River.

Yesterday morning, Clark and other wildlife officials put the eagle in a carrier covered with blankets and put the cage in the back of a red Subaru Outback.

As the group made the two-hour trip to King George from the Shenandoah Valley, officials realized they hadn't gotten the full number off the bird's band.

The group had to stop in Orange County to pick up another state official, and Clark checked the band again during the pit stop. He wiped off "a big patch of bird poop" and again called the agency that banded the eagle.

What he discovered amazed him.

Date published: 12/9/2005