Young bald eagle rescued in Cd'A

COEUR d'ALENE - Idaho Transportation Department staff in Coeur d'Alene helped save a starving young bald eagle by connecting the raptor with appropriate rehabilitation agencies.

The eaglet was found wandering in front of the district office building. A heavy sheet was put over the eaglet to subdue it until rescuers from the Prairie Animal Hospital could notify Birds of Prey Northwest to retrieve the bird.

Janie Veltkamp, a raptor biologist with Birds of Prey, said initial efforts focused on helping the bird - which had likely come from the Heyburn area - regain some of the weight it had lost.

She said birds of that size and age - the 2-month-old raptor stood more than 2 feet tall and had a 6-foot wingspan - normally weigh about 11 pounds, but it had shrunk to less than 9 pounds.

She said the bird had no bone fractures, but observers were concerned that the bird had developed vision problems, leading to disorientation and the lack of ability to effectively hunt.

"The bird has shown problems locating and pinpointing its perch, and unless food is right in front of it, the bird has trouble interpreting visual cues," Veltkamp said.

Veltkamp said the bird is most likely a female, which are bigger than males, and the desired outcome would be to release it into an area that already contains many mature bald eagles such as near Heyburn State Park.

Of course, if the bird is shown to be nearsighted or farsighted, those visual problems may mean it does not go back to the wild, but instead is used by the center for educational outreach activities such as school assemblies.

"We should know the outcome by Sept. 15," Veltkamp said. At that point the bird should have regained the lost weight, and vision problems, if any, will be identified.

Birds of Prey helps rehabilitate about 150 birds each year.