Baby Bald Eagle Receives Medical Care
Audubon volunteers monitored the Largo nest and realized the baby eagle needed medical treatment in order to have a successful first flight.
For several years the eagle's nest at the SPCA Tampa Bay has been inactive. In early March that changed when Audubon volunteers noticed a new baby on the way. This is the latest recorded incubation date for an eagle in Pinellas County, according to the SPCA.
The Audubon volunteers had been carefully watching the eagle's nest. Recently, they noticed a problem with the eaglet's eye. They got the necessary permits to get medical treatment for the young eagle.
Eagles are well known for having excellent vision. Without two good eyes to hunt, the eagle would not survive in the wild. The eaglet has a cataract possibly caused by a crow, according to the SPCA.
Audubon volunteer Art Finn, who works as an arborist for the City of Dunedin, climbed the tree and took the 6-week-old eaglet out of the nest on May 30.
The bird was transported to the Audubon Society's Birds of Prey Center in Maitland. The bird may end up living in an educational setting, if the eye does not heal properly, said Nora Hawkins of the SPCA.
Dorothy Bryan
2:50 pm on Sunday, June 3, 2012
I am wondering how the mom felt when baby was taken. Would it have helped to have mom go too? Not being critical...just asking :)