Last week we had one of our most intense wildlife rescues so far! We received a call from Fred Smith with Exelon that the wonderful local photographer Isabel Hernandez had observed a juvenile Bald Eagle with a broken wing below the Conowingo Dam. There are a lot of Eagles and other birds around the dam and we have gotten lots of calls to help with all sorts of species and situations but this one was different because the Eagle wasn’t on the shore. This Eagle was stranded on Rowland Island, which is essentially an elongated rock pile with power line towers that has become a place for many birds to nest, and with it being an island, has the swift waters of the Susquehanna River racing around it on all sides.
With some power generation occurring the water was moving quickly but was still within what we felt was safe with our ability and equipment. The island is too difficult to reach with motorized craft given the shallow, rocky riverbed below the surface, so a kayak was our best option. We strapped a large locking tote to the back (sized for our largest bird of prey) with leather gloves and a thick canvas cloth inside and set out to find this symbol of our Country that was in need of help.
We paddled hard across the muddy waters of the mighty Susquehanna and rounded the south end of the island and fought upstream to the location below the north tower on the opposite side. We looked for a few landmarks such as a piece of debris and a nesting Canada Goose until we figured out about where it was last seen, but we couldn’t find it on multiple passes. Knowing our time and energy to paddle back was limited we found rock to wedge into and dragged the boat out of the water and tied it onto a boulder to prevent it from sliding back in. We scaled the precarious outcrops and stone piles in search of the bird and were met by several Great Blue Herons, Cormorants, Ospreys and Bald Eagles of various ages flying past in every direction. There was a distinct smell that one knows as a place where fish eating birds inhabit.
As we crested the top of the island we saw movement on the ground, it was our Eagle! It was dragging its wing and was clearly in distress. It embedded itself into some dense vegetation that we had some difficulty accessing, especially given the high temperatures. We keep fighting through the tangles and crawled on the ground to try to carefully pull it out.
Finally it rolled over in its defensive posture and we were able to wrap it, swaddling it much like a human baby, to keep its wings folded and protect us from its razor sharp talons and beak. We scaled back down the rocks slowly and placed our precious cargo in the tote and secured it closed for its safety and ours. We called back to our contact on the shore that we were on our way.
We easily drifted downstream and around the island but it quickly became apparent that getting back to the launch at the parking lot across and upstream was not going to happen. We changed our plans on the fly and paddled hard towards another pull out further down the Lower Susquehanna Greenway Trail where Fred was able to meet us. We surprised a fisherman as we interrupted his cast to pull the boat and Eagle out of the water, which he gladly assisted with and probably had a good story to tell when he got home.
Then we headed to the closest wildlife veterinarian, Chadwell Animal Hospital, who would assess the bird. The initial look showed a badly injured wing broken at a location wouldn’t be repairable. After talking to the photographer who saw the Eagle first, it might have been broken since November and since the bird was not seen again until the day we responded, it was assumed to have not made it. Since they are scavengers, it likely survived on dead fish and scraps from other birds but over the months the injury worsened and was likely beyond the point of further care. While we are always heartbroken when these rescues don’t have a happy ending, as most don’t, those of us who help rescue and rehabilitate wildlife have accepted that those that do survive make it worth it, as does the help to end suffering that too often occurs with these injuries, many of which a result of human activities.
When Eagles are found dead or have to be euthanized, there is one positive outcome as a result. These birds are able to live on in a sense as they are sent to the National Eagle Repository in Colorado who then transfers them to partnering Indigenous Tribal Nations who use various feathers, parts and talons for religious and cultural purposes, honoring this incredible species that has meant so much to the inhabitants of this land, both past and present.
