Rehabbed raptor starts new chapter at 'world's largest gathering of eagles'
Following a first few unsteady flaps, a bald eagle is flying free again after healing from serious injuries.
The OWL Rehabilitation Society, which nurses injured raptors back to health, released the adult bird along the Harrison River on Wednesday.
The bird was found injured — possibly after flying into power lines — and was cared for by the Delta, B.C.-based organization until it was deemed fit to be sent back into the wild.
"During the course of the year, a number of eagles get themselves into trouble … and they need to be made healthy," said eagle biologist David Hancock.
The eagle's release from a pet carrier was the highlight of the day — but it was by no means the only bird on the river.
As December approaches, Hancock says thousands of eagles will congregate on the Harrison to feast on the river's bountiful salmon population. The abundance of food, Hancock explained, is why the rehabilitated bird was released along the river.
"If you've got the biggest salmon runs, then you're going to have the biggest collection of bald eagles and that's what we have: this is the world's largest gathering of eagles, right here," he said.
Hancock said by mid-December, there could be 10,000 to 15,000 eagles on the river at any one time. A conservative estimate is that 35,000 of them will visit the river over the course of the season.
In an attempt to find out where eagles travel to and where they breed, scientists are installing GPS trackers costing $2,500 each on some birds, Hancock said.
