A story of an injured bald eagle, its capture and successful rehabilitation and eventual release back to its mate.
Location
I was searching for wildlife at Bristol Beach State Park in Saugerties, NY on September 21, 2024. Eve’s Point which is located within the park provides an excellent viewing location for various water fowl and raptors. There is also a bald eagle nest in the area so there is opportunity to photograph eagles from there.
Initial Contact
I had been there a while, thirty minutes or so and I was about to leave when I noticed something through all the thick tree leaves and brush. There was a small opening and I could see what looked like eagle talons on a small dead tree that was hanging low and somewhat horizontally over the Hudson River.
As I looked further I was amazed that it was indeed an adult bald eagle sitting on a dead tree over the water. How was I able to get this close to an eagle? I tried to move very slowly to get to a better vantage point where I could get a clear view with my camera. I crept close to the ground and slowly made it to a position where I could get some decent photos. I remained there watching, observing and photographing this beautiful bird for at least an hour.
The eagle eventually flew away but it appeared to me that it didn’t fly far but it was out of sight. I had to move to see if it landed. I went up the hill and around and down towards the small field. To my surprise it was standing on the other side of the field from me. Its back was toward me but its head was turned and looking in my direction. I was amazed at what I witnessed next. The eagle began to walk up the hill away from me. It went around the corner and out of sight. I made my way up the hill but I could not find the eagle after that.
Second Contact
A couple of days later I went back to Eve’s Point at Bristol Beach State Park to see if I could find the injured eagle. I discovered the eagle perched back on the same tree and in the same position I had seen it two days before. Once again I was able to position myself where I could see through the foliage and observe the bird. I was able to not only get some photos but I was also able to get some video with my phone.
After a period of time the eagle took off. This time it landed in the water about ten feet from where it launched. It was at that moment I knew for sure I had to contact someone to rescue this eagle. I was able to reach Friends of the Feathered & Furry Wildlife Center. I spoke to Dave LoVerde who after asking some questions he decided he would come to rescue the eagle.
When Dave arrived the eagle was still on the same dead tree limb. It was able to climb back up rather quickly.
The terrain on shore in the area where the eagle was perched was rather rough. It was thick brush with some prickers with rock ledges on one side. Our first attempt to capture the eagle was unsuccessful as it drove the eagle back into the water where it would swim away from us. We decided to go around and come in from the other side. Eventually, with Dave on one side with the net and me on the other side to prevent it from returning to the water, we were able to safely capture the bird.
I received a number of updates from Dave as he cared for the eagle. It had some type of right wing injury which I can only describe as similar to a dislocated or separated shoulder in a human. The veterinarian who looked at the bird authorized it to be euthanized because the injury was so severe. The prevailing theory is that something ran into it because it was not believed to be self sustained. No way to determine the exact cause. Dave would let me know when progress was made and he did also send a photo at one point in the rehabilitation. Later he sent a video of the eagle flying in a large enclosure.
I finally received the message I was hoping for, the day had come to release the eagle back into the wild. We were able to release the eagle from the same location we had captured it. The liveliness and actions of the bird during release were completely opposite from how it acted upon capture. The bird was very active during release.
It was extremely satisfying to have seen this through from the beginning when I realized the eagle was injured to the release back into the wild.
A few days later I returned to Eve’s point and was able to capture a few photos of the eagle pair that were now reunited. It was the culmination of over two decades of photographing bald eagles.
