Bald Eagle #14-0261

Species Name (EN): 
Species Name (LA): 
Admission Date: 
April 9, 2014
Location of Rescue: 
Dulles International Airport, Virginia
Cause of Admission / Condition: 
Likely hit by plane
Prognosis: 
Outcome: 
Placed as education bird at Massachusetts Birds of Prey Rehabilitation Facility
Patient Status: 
Patient Archive

On April 8, a mature Bald Eagle was found on the tarmac at Washington Dulles International Airport. Rescuers suspected that an airplane clipped the eagle as it was flying near the runway. The bird was captured and taken to a local permitted wildlife rehabilitator. The rehabilitator kept the bird overnight, and a volunteer transporter drove the eagle to the Wildlife Center the following day.

Upon admission, Dr. Rich Sim, the Center’s veterinary fellow, examined the feisty eagle. The staff and students were impressed with the large eagle’s size and strength – weighing in at 4.7 kg, it is likely that the eagle is female. Dr. Rich noted an injury to the tip of the eagle’s left wing on physical examination. Radiographs confirmed a chip fracture of the minor metacarpal bone of the eagle’s left wing – a fairly unusual type of fracture. No additional injuries were found.

 

Dr. Rich and two veterinary students bandaged the eagle’s injured wing, and started the bird on a course of anti-inflammatories and pain medication. Dr. Rich will need to explore options for repairing the eagle’s fracture – although the wing-tip fracture may appear small, a poorly healed fracture could cause significant problems with the eagle’s flight in the future.

The eagle was placed in the Center’s holding room.

Your special donation will help the Center to provide care to this Bald Eagle ... and to the 2,600 sick, injured, and orphaned wild animals the Center will treat this year. Please help! 

Updates

March 16, 2015

Placement has been found for Bald Eagle #14-0261 with Tom Ricardi at the Massachusetts Birds of Prey Rehabilitation Center. Last week, the acquisition and transfer request came through from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, meaning that the bird was cleared for transfer. On Friday, March 20, the Bald Eagle will be picked up and transferred to her new home.

February 9, 2015

On February 3, Drs. Dave, Kelli, and Helen exercised and assessed Bald Eagle #14-0261. The eagle has been on and off exercise since July 2014, with mixed results. The eagle can fly the length of the large flight enclosures many times during the course of an exercise session, however, at some point during the course of exercise, the eagle develops a wing droop. The eagle remains a heavy and flappy flier; the quality of her flight is not what is required of an eagle that can return to the wild. The veterinary staff decided that this eagle is non-releasable; the staff will seek placement at an educational facility.

January 22, 2015

During the past two weeks, Bald Eagle #14-0261 began exhibiting a left wing droop again after making about seven or eight flights in the A3 flight enclosure during daily exercise sessions. At times, the eagle’s flight is labored, while at other times the bird’s flight seems fine. This eagle has been very difficult to evaluate.

In the next two weeks, the rehabilitation staff will push the eagle to exercise more – once the bird’s wing droop develops, the staff will continue to exercise the eagle. This will help staff evaluate whether or not the wing droop affects the eagle’s flight ability and stamina. In early February, the staff hope to make a determination whether or not this eagle’s intermittent wing droop will affect her releasability.
 

January 5, 2015

In early December, Bald Eagle #14-0261 was given a two-week hiatus from cage exercise to allow her left wing droop to resolve.

On December 19, the rehabilitation staff began to exercise the eagle again; rehabilitation intern Jordan noted that the eagle had good stamina and no notable wing droop during the first day of exercise. The eagle made 15 passes from end-to-end in the A3 enclosure and was perching well.

After several days of exercise, the eagle’s wing droop once again became noticeable. The rehabilitation team noted that the bird’s left wing droop would appear about halfway through each exercise session.

The team continued to exercise the eagle; by December 30, the wing droop was no longer present after exercise. As of January 5, the eagle has shown no wing droop in a week.

The rehabilitation staff will continue to exercise the eagle to increase her strength and stamina. If the eagle continues to consistently fly well [making at least 15 strong passes end-to-end in the enclosure] the staff will assess her for release.
 

December 5, 2014

Bald Eagle #14-0261 was flying well in mid-November and on November 21, the bird was moved to flight pen A1 for additional exercise. Within a couple of days of the move, the staff noted that the eagle had a slight left wing droop and was not flying as well. During the next week, the staff carefully monitored the bird; on December 4, the eagle was caught up and anesthetized for radiographs.

Dr. Helen found that the bird’s original left carpal injury looked fine – it was even improved from the last set of radiographs that were taken in October. The staff guesses that perhaps the eagle bumped into a wall while flying in A1, which made her healing wing sore. Dr. Helen gave the eagle an anti-inflammatory medication, and the bird was returned to flight pen A3 for monitoring. The eagle will be taken off of exercise for two weeks, and then the staff will reassess the bird’s flight.
 

November 6, 2014

On October 24, the rehabilitation staff moved Bald Eagle #14-0261 to flight pen A1 to be housed with Bald Eagle #14-1955. The staff hoped that a change of location would improve the eagle’s ability to fly.

Shortly after moving to the new enclosure, eagle #14-0261 began flying better, showing improved height and stamina.

The eagle has been exercised daily by Center staff and students. In the video below, rehabilitation intern Jordan Herring exercises both eagles [Bald Eagles #14-0261 and #14-1955].

Both eagles were moved to enclosure A3 on November 5. Once eagle #14-0261 is consistently flying well during daily exercise, the staff will consider plans for releasing the eagle.
 

October 1, 2014

On September 29, Bald Eagle #14-0261 had an additional series of radiographs taken to monitor the healing progress of the bird’s left wing. Radigraphs showed improvement; there is less inflammation of the bird’s left carpus [wrist].

Exercise continues, though the eagle is still not flying well. At this point, the eagle is able to fly the length of her enclosure about six to eight times, but she does not gain altitude, and usually ends her daily exercise sessions by running on the ground. The eagle does have several feathers growing in on her left wing. The staff hope with time, and continued exercise, the eagle will regain stamina and better flight. On October 1, the eagle was moved to flight pen A3.

September 18, 2014

Bald Eagle #14-0261 remained in her C-pen throughout most of August while several other young eagles were conditioned for release in the large flight pens. Every two weeks, the veterinary staff rechecked the eagle’s bloodwork and performed feet and feather checks. Bloodwork returned on July 26 was within normal limits.

The veterinary staff radiographed the eagle on August 4 to re-check the eagle’s injured left wing and found that the inflammation around the joint had decreased, but was still present in the soft tissue around the bone. The veterinary staff started Bald Eagle #14-0261 on another round of anti-inflammatories and scheduled more follow-up radiographs at the end of the month.

On August 30, the veterinary team anesthetized the eagle to retake radiographs. Radiographs indicated that the soft tissue inflammation previously noted earlier that month was static, but mild tendonitis had developed. The veterinary staff are not overly concerned about the mild presence of tendonitis, but will monitor the injury for any changes.

Bald Eagle #14-0261 was moved to the A1 flight pen on September 12 and began flight conditioning four days later. During the past few days, the eagle flew poorly and often averaged one to two passes before she grounded and ran along the floor of her flight pen. The staff will continue to evaluate the bird’s progress and assess her ability to fly in the coming weeks.
 

July 22, 2014

During the past two weeks, Bald Eagle #14-0261 has continued to have trouble gaining height while flying. The eagle exercises an average of eight times perch-to-perch in her enclosure, but isn’t flying well enough for release. On July 21, routine blood work revealed a low white blood cell count, which could indicate an underlying infection.

Because the three young Bald Eaglets [#14-0649, 0650, and 0867] are nearing release and require additional space for flight conditioning, Bald Eagle #14-0261 was demoted to a C-pen enclosure for the time being, until blood work improves.
 

July 11, 2014

Bald Eagle #14-0261 has been flying well in its large outdoor enclosure. The eagle’s right wing droop was noted inconsistently into mid-June, but was apparently not affecting the bird’s ability to fly the length of the enclosure.

On July 2, the staff began exercising the eagle daily. For the first week of exercise, the eagle lacked stamina and flew to the ground several times during each session. By the second week of July, the eagle began making more passes end-to-end in its enclosure and was perching well. The eagle has had trouble gaining height during flight but is improving. The staff will continue to exercise the eagle to assess the bird’s stamina and ability to fly to high perches.

On July 8, Bald Eagle #14-0261 was moved from enclosure A2 to A1. This enclosure contains a Critter Cam and will occasionally feature this recovering patient.
 

May 30, 2014

On May 21, Bald Eagle #14-0261 was seen perching in its enclosure displaying an intermittent right wing droop that was not present on intake. The veterinary team also noticed that Bald Eagle #14-0261 had been continuously chewing on both of the protective carpal bumpers that had been placed on its wings. While the droop does not seem to be affecting the bird’s ability to fly, it is suspected to be the result of mild discomfort caused by the carpal bumpers.

On May 23, Dr. Rich reviewed the eagle’s last two radiographs and found a periosteal reaction [bone growth as a result of trauma] on the bird’s left major metacarpal bone. The site of the growth matches the location where the bird had been chewing on its left bumper. The eagle’s previous bloodwork also showed a slightly elevated white blood cell count, indicating inflammation and possible infection. To prevent any potential infection, Bald Eagle #14-0261 was placed on a five-day course of antibiotics.

On May 26, the veterinary staff performed a “feet and feather check” on Bald Eagle #14-0261 and removed the bird’s old right carpal bumper to alleviate any discomfort that might be causing the wing to droop. Later a new bumper was carefully repositioned and placed on the eagle’s right wing. The bird continues to intermittently exhibit a wing droop; however the staff has frequently seen the eagle hold its right wing in the normal position. Since the droop is not limiting the bird’s ability to fly, the veterinary staff are not concerned and do not think it will affect the bird’s likelihood of release.
 

May 20, 2014

Bald Eagle #14-0261 was re-radiographed on May 20 to check on the healing progress of the bird’s fractured wing tip. Dr. Rich found that the fractured minor metacarpal was completely healed. He also noted a small bone spur on the tip of the eagle’s wing [noted with the red arrow below]; this could be due to a ligament injury that occurred with the fracture. Dr. Rich does not anticipate that this will affect the eagle’s flight; the injury will be re-checked on radiographs in one month.

With the fracture healed, Dr. Rich gave the okay for the bird to be moved to a larger space. The rehabilitation staff played “musical chairs” with several Bald Eagle patients to get everyone into an appropriate flight enclosure. Because Bald Eagle #14-0261 is not yet ready to be exercised, the eagle was placed in flight pen A3 – along with Bald Eaglets #14-0649 and 0650. Bald Eagle #14-0380, who had been housed in A3 was moved to A1 so that it could continue its daily exercise program with another eagle that is being flight-conditioned.
 

May 7, 2014

On May 7, Bald Eagle #14-0261 was caught up for anesthesia and radiographs. Dr. Rich was pleased to see the eagle’s fracture had a stable callous over the fracture site; however, the fracture still needs additional time to fully heal. Dr. Rich removed the eagle’s wing wrap, and placed it back in the C-pen. The bird will remain on cage rest for the next two weeks.

April 28, 2014

The veterinary team has continued to monitor Bald Eagle #14-0261 during the last few weeks. Each day, the staff visually checks to ensure that the bandage on the Bald Eagle’s wing is clean and intact.


On April 18, Bald Eagle #14-0261 was picked up and anesthetized to begin weekly physical therapy sessions. Upon examination, the staff observed that the eagle chewed the splint material, causing the bandage to split out of place. The splint was removed and the staff continued with the physical therapy session and found the bird to have good range of motion. After the therapy session, the healing fracture was bandaged again. During the following week, the staff monitored the positioning of the bandage, as well as the eagle’s appetite and attitude.


On April 23, the veterinary staff rechecked the bird’s radiographs and performed another physical therapy session. Radiographs revealed that the slab fracture of the minor metacarpal was well-aligned and appeared to be healing. The bird also had full range of motion of its wing at the end of the session. A new bandage was placed on the bird’s wing. In two weeks, the veterinary team will recheck radiographs.
 

April 14, 2014

After Bald Eagle #14-0261’s admission, the Wildlife Center veterinarians discussed the treatment plan for the feisty eagle. The uncommon fracture will be a difficult injury to treat, due to the location and the feisty disposition of the eagle. The team decided that a specialized wing wrap would be best to immobilize the fractured metacarpal, although healing will depend on keeping the eagle as quiet as possible.

On Friday, April 11, the Bald Eagle was moved outdoors to one of the Center’s C-pens. The team decided that this intermediate-sized enclosure would be the best option for the bandaged bird; the C-pen will be quieter than an indoor crate and won’t require that the eagle be picked up daily for cage cleaning. All high perches have been removed from the C-pen, and the eagle has a selection of short ground perches. As long at the eagle cooperates, the veterinary team will leave the bandage in place for seven days to allow the chip fracture to begin to heal.


 

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