On a summer day in June 2023, Morgan Jones was enjoying watching the wildlife from his back deck in Alexandria, Va., which is in the Mount Vernon area of Fairfax County. He’d grown accustomed to seeing a pair of bald eagles as they raised their chicks in a nest along Little Hunting Creek, which feeds into the Potomac River.
But on this day, something was wrong. The male eagle, the smaller of the two, was struggling on the ground. Upon closer inspection, Morgan noticed the large bird had become tangled up in fishing line. Fortunately, Morgan was able to trap the eagle and take it to Pender Veterinary Centre in Fairfax, which contacted the Wildlife Rescue League Helpline.
Helpline volunteer Linda answered the call and asked transporter Leslie if she could get the eagle to a wildlife veterinarian. Despite it already being early evening, Leslie agreed to the two-hour round trip and got the eagle to Dr. Belinda Burwell, a wildlife vet and a permitted wildlife rehabilitator who lives in Clarke County.
Dr. Burwell has been rehabilitating eagles and other migratory birds for 20 years. When the eagle first arrived on June 27, she removed the fishing line wrapped around his wings. She also found abrasions and bruises on the skin of his wings, along with some broken flight feathers. Dr. Burwell says these injuries can be very serious in some cases.
“There’s a ligament along the leading edge of the wing that is very delicate and if it gets damaged, they never fly again,” she says. “It has to be in perfect condition for birds to be able to fly.”
Dr. Burwell, who rehabilitates about 20 bald eagles a year, says that about half don’t make it due to the nature of their injuries. Fortunately, this male eagle was lucky. Not only was his ligament in good condition, but by Dr. Burwell’s estimate, he was able to recover rather quickly.
The recovering eagle in Dr. Burwell’s flight cage
After about a week of healing, Dr. Burwell tested the eagle in her flight cage and was delighted to see him flying again. A week later, he was ready for release back into the wild.
On July 9 volunteer transporters, John and Donna Joray, took the eagle back to the private residence where he was found. Upon his release, the eagle flew directly to his nest and was greeted by a fledgling there. Then his mate also returned to greet him.
Bald eagles begin nesting in January and raise their chicks through the summer. It is thought that they mate for life – and both parents share the responsibility of catching fish to feed the chicks – so his mate was undoubtedly relieved to see him. This eagle’s return to the wild is a wonderful success story for North America’s national bird – and a formerly endangered species!
Photo 1 – The injured bald eagle shortly after capture
Photo 2 – The recovering eagle in Dr. Burwell’s flight cage
Written by Lauren Puckett
Lauren Puckett is a professional writer and animal lover. She is also an avid wildlife photographer and bird watcher. She lives in Herndon, VA with her husband, son, and dog.
