Recently a female eagle with band number 629-22511 was admitted to our Center’s clinic. This is actually her second visit to Audubon Center for Birds of Prey. She was first rescued in Palm Harbor January 31, 1996 by Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary, that later transported the eagle to our center in Maitland. She had been shot and suffered from a fractured right ulna and punctures in the femur area. She also had severe feather damage from the gunshot, and “releasability questionable” was noted in her records. After two years of rehabilitation, she was banded and released on February 24, 1998, northwest of Brooksville.
Last week she was admitted to the Center for Birds of Prey with injuries due to a territory fight with another eagle from Pinellas County. She was reported by Russ Fernandes, who fished her out of his pool and notified the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary. Barb Walker, a Pinellas County EagleWatch Volunteer, helped coordinate the transport to Audubon. EagleWatch volunteers have been monitoring this nest since 1998, and have closely been watching as the male is now attempting to incubate eggs on his own.
Her injuries are quite severe, including puncture wounds and significant feather loss due to this territory fight. It will be several months and could be up to a year before the eagle's feathers grow back and the center releases her.
Reports of territory fights increase this time of year. Nesting season, which started Oct. 1, doesn't end until May 15. During that time, the birds jockey for places to live. In Pinellas County, where development has paved over habitats as the eagle population has soared, the problem is even more acute. "The birds in Pinellas are suffering from loss of habitat," Lynda White, EagleWatch Coordinator for the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey, comments. “That's why you have so many eagles there nesting on cell towers. We have seen a steady increase in territory fights as population increases and territory decreases and I think that this is a classic example of that.”
You can read more about this eagle at Channel 10, Fox News, and TampaBay.com.
