Wildlife group nursed eagle back to health
By GORDON DELANEY Valley Bureau
(gdelaney@herald.ca)
Tue. Jan 29 - 11:57 AM
SHEFFIELD MILLS — CLIFFORD, A YOUNG bald eagle, headed straight for the crowd of onlookers, then suddenly flew overhead and into the treetops.

He had just been released from his cage Sunday by members of the Hope for Wildlife Society, who have been caring for the injured bird since last August.

The juvenile bird, believed to be about three years old, was released in the area where it was found Aug. 29. The Department of Natural Resources notified members of the society, who came down and picked it up.

The young male was in "really hard shape," said Hope Swinimer, society founder and director.

"He couldn’t fly at all," she said. "He was missing almost all but two of his tail feathers. He was thin, his wings were drooping. He was really lethargic and in pretty hard shape."

Clifford, who isn’t old enough to have developed a bald eagle’s distinctive white head and tail feathers, was taken to a vet in Dartmouth, who gave recommendations on his care.

He was put in a confined area for the first month, where he was fed and cared for.

"The really good thing about this bird is that he started eating right away," said Ms. Swinimer. "He had a great appetite and started to gain weight."

After a month, the young bird was placed in the flight cage. The society, which runs a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centre, staffed by volunteers, has the only 30-metre-long bald eagle flight cage in Nova Scotia.

Clifford spent 2 1/2 months there learning to fly.

"The first month he didn’t fly much at all because his feathers were so bad," Ms. Swinimer said. The tail feathers are used for liftoff and rudder.

But by the end of his stay, "he was flying beautifully from one end of the flight cage to the other."

When he was released Sunday, during the Sheffield Mills Eagle Watch, he flew directly toward the crowd that had gathered to watch. Then he suddenly gained altitude and flew over their heads and into the treetops at the base of the North Mountain.

The society has taken in 11 injured bald eagles. Four have been released back into the wild, while several are still being cared for.

Ms. Swinimer said most times the cause of injury of a bird can be determined. One eagle now being cared for had been caught in a bobcat snare, another had broken legs.

"A lot of times they collide with man-made objects, everything from power lines to vehicles to buildings."

She said the society volunteers always try to return birds of prey to the location where they came from.

The eagle released Sunday has an excellent chance of survival, Ms. Swinimer said, because area farmers feed the eagles all winter with dead chickens from their barns.

In recent years, the eagle population here has grown steadily.

"The eagle seemed to be doing really well," said Donald Burry, who was on hand to see it released. "He shouldn’t have much of a problem."

The Hope for Wildlife Society has cared for 62 birds of prey, including several owls.

For more information on the society and its facility, located in Seaforth, Halifax County, visit its website at www.hopeforwildlife.net.

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