Edward Clark Jr. keeps a firm grip on the talons of the eagle and hugs him close for a few moments while the bird adjusts to the light and surrounds of Mutton Hunk Fen Natural Area Preserve. Photo by Jim Ritch.
Story and Photos by Jim Ritch —
Eagle 20-3608 returned home Wednesday, taking flight over the 516 acres of Mutton Hunk Fen Natural Area Preserve after a four-month convalescence for a broken wing.
“He probably has family. We like to say, ‘he’s going home,’” said wildlife rehabilitator Jodie Sokel, of the nonprofit Wildlife ER, which helped rescue the eagle.
The eagle’s odyssey began Nov. 20 deep in the woods off Mason Road near Bloxom when Darin Dick, wildlife officer with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, saw the injured bird on the ground during a routine patrol.
The bird tried to run away but didn’t travel very far.
“He was not at all happy with my presence,” said Dick.
Dick called Sokel and asked her to join him with a cage, net, and gloves to catch the bird as the two have done before many times.
“This eagle is so lucky; it was way far back in the woods. I don’t know what would have happened to him” without the rescue, said Sokel.
One approached the bird from the front to distract it, while the other used a long-handled net to cover it.
The short wrestling match that ensued was a good sign for the bird’s survival.
“The more fight there is in them, the better their chances,” said wildlife rehabilitator Gay Frazee, also of Wildlife ER.
The first stop for the bird was the Painter clinic of Eastern Shore Animal Hospital and veterinarian Dr. George Marble, who wrapped the bird to stabilize the wing and prepare it for a long, four-hour drive the next day.
The bird rested overnight in a special building at the home of Sokel before traveling to The Wildlife Center of Virginia, in Waynesboro, Va. Licensed wildlife transporter Thum Allen drove up from Hampton to pick up the bird.
When the eagle arrived, a veterinarian saw the broken bones in an X-ray, but described the eagle as depressed and prescribed another night of rest before surgery.
Then, a team of two veterinarians set the broken bone and pinned the pieces together.
Time healed the wing, and the eagle graduated to a 100-foot flight pen, where it proved its flying ability and endurance.
Edward Clark Jr., president of the Wildlife Center, carried the bird to Mutton Hunk Wednesday and told a group of about six local wildlife officials that this bird “best exemplified teamwork,” because of the many individuals who had a hand in helping it.
Clark gave Sokel the honor of removing the hood over the eagle’s eyes, then held the bird for a few moments to let it adjust to its surroundings.
When he lifted the eagle into the air and its wings unfurled, it started a trip of only about 7 miles to the spot where it had been found, presumably near its home.
Click any photo to start the photo gallery.
Eagle 20-3608 tightly clutches pads lining the floor of its cage. A reddish hood restricts its vision during travel. Photo by Jim Ritch.
Eagle 20-3608 before its release at Mutton Hunk Fen Natural Area Preserve. Photo by Jim Ritch.
Jodie Sokel, who helped rescue the eagle near Bloxom, unties the hood restricting the eagle’s vision. Photo by Jim Ritch.
Wildlife officials who frequently work together on animal rescues watch the release of Eagle 20-3608. From left are Darin Dick, federal wildlife officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Jodie Sokel, wildlife rehabilitator, Wildlife ER; Gay Frazee, wildlife rehabilitator, Wildlife ER; Thum Allen, licensed wildlife transporter; Mark Machen, conservation police officer, Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. Photo by Jim Ritch.
Jodie Sokel, wildlife rehabilitator with the nonprofit Wildlife ER, left, and federal wildlife officer Darin Dick, right, rescued the eagle deep in woods off Mason Road near Bloxom. Photo by Jim Ritch.
Edward Clark Jr., president of The Wildlife Center of Virginia, dons heavy gloves before handling the bird. The Wildlife Center, cared for about 3,800 animals in 2020. Fourth-year veterinary students from 40 countries and every major American veterinary school study wildlife medicine at the Center. Photo by Jim Ritch.
Edward Clark Jr., president of The Wildlife Center of Virginia, settles the eagle in his arms after lifting him from the cage. Watching are are Jodi Sokel, left, and Gay Frazee, right, wildlife rehabilitators with the nonprofit Wildlife ER. Photo by Jim Ritch.
Jodie Sokel, wildlife rehabilitator with Wildlife ER, watches the eagle she helped rescue on Nov. 20 in woods near Bloxom. Photo by Jim Ritch.
Fans of eagle 20-3608 photograph it in the arms of Edward Clark Jr., president of The Wildlife Center of Virginia. From left are Mark Machen, conservation police officer, Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources; visitor Heather Unruh from Washington State; and Dr. George Marble, who wrapped the bird to stabilize its broken wind shortly after it was carried from woods near Bloxom. Photo by Jim Ritch.
Edward Clark Jr. keeps a firm grip on the talons of the eagle and hugs him close for a few moments while the bird adjusts to the light and surrounds of Mutton Hunk Fen Natural Area Preserve. Photo by Jim Ritch.
Edward Clark Jr., president of The Wildlife Center of Virginia, lifts eagle 20-3608 into the air at Mutton Hunk Fen Natural Area Preserve. Photo by Jim Ritch.
Eagle 20-3608 flies home after its release at Mutton Hunk Fen Natural Area Preserve. Photo by Jim Ritch.
Eagle 20-3608 flies home after its release at Mutton Hunk Fen Natural Area Preserve. Photo by Jim Ritch.
Eagle 20-3608 flies home after its release at Mutton Hunk Fen Natural Area Preserve. Photo by Jim Ritch.
