In Skinner Butte Park on Monday, bird-watchers and city employees alike looked up at a bald eagle’s nest.
In the nest, a young eagle was missing its sibling.
Just days before, an eaglet fell from the nest onto a lower branch of the tree. That’s when the Cascades Raptor Center heard from community members that the bird might need help.
When the eaglet fell again, they intervened.
“We immediately responded and came and picked him up and took him into the clinic to be evaluated and make sure he was uninjured,” said Katie McInnis, a veterinarian at the raptor center.
After the eaglet was cleared, it was time to take it back to the nest. A truck was parked beneath the nest while a trained arborist prepared to safely transport the bird.
McInnis said the conservation of bald eagles in the country has been a success. But rescue missions like this are still necessary.
“We see a lot more of them these days,” she said. “Getting this little guy back to his family is important just because this is the best chance he has at succeeding in life. We cannot teach him everything he needs to know about living in the wild.”
In a nearby tree, the eaglet’s mother watched carefully as the tree’s branches were cut to clear a path for the crane.
McInnis said she isn’t worried about the eaglet’s reunion.
“Wild eagles and raptors in general, if they have a baby fall from their nest, we can typically get them in, take a good look at them, and if they're healthy, get them renested in a couple of days,” McInnis said. “The parents are just like, ‘Where have you been?’, and take them right back into their nest.”
The first attempt to renest the eaglet fell short – literally. The truck’s crane was not tall enough to reach the nest and so, the baby eagle will have to wait to be back with its family.
