MEDINA —
A bald eagle that was found injured last month on Blair Road in Shelby is being nursed back to health.
According to local wildlife rehabilitator Wendi Pencille, the injury to the animal’s right wing was likely incurred by flying into electrical wires. While it is not certain if the bird will be able to be re-released into the wild, a few caring individuals are trying their hardest to get her up in the air.
The eagle was found May 4 near the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge. According to Pencille, a passerby on the road saw the injured animal and called it in, and the folks at the state Department of Environmental Conservation contacted her.
“We think she hit power lines, which damaged a tendon in her right wind,” said Pencille, who headed out at 8 p.m. that night to retrieve the injured bird.
The eagle was taken to Dr. Karen Moran at the Erie County SPCA where she has had two surgeries, and is being rehabilitated at Pencille’s Bless the Beast Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization in Shelby.
Because the eagle was banded, Pencille was able to find out how old she is and where she came from.
“She was found almost 7 years to the day of being banded,” she said.
In fact, Pencille was able to contact the very person who banded the bird back in 2004.
Mike Allen has been banding birds for 35 years. Although he is retired, he continues his work with the DEC. “We’re still trying to keep up,” he said of the number of birds that need banding.
Allen said information catalogued by attaching a metal or plastic tag with an identifying number to a bird’s legs helps experts determine the lifespan of the bird and how far it travels. The state DEC has been banding birds since 1976, according to Allen.
“It’s good information to know,” he said. “It’s interesting to see that this particular bird only went a few miles.”
Allen banded the bald eagle found on Blair Road in 2004 on the Iroquois refuge. It was one of two chicks in the nest, and it is also larger than normal.
“It’s a big bird,” said Allen. “The females are usually larger and heavier, but this particular bird is quite large.”
According to Pencille, the eagle weights 9 pounds, 12 ounces.
“You should see her wing span,” she said. “She’s the biggest bird we’ve ever worked with.”
Because Bless the Beast doesn’t have a large enough facility to fly the bird, Pencille attaches a 200-foot-long cord to the bird’s leg and tosses her up and lets her fly. “That’s how we’re forced to fly her,” she said.
Although bald eagles can be dangerous, Pencille said this particular bird has been very good to work with.
“She’s just been a great, great patient,” she said.
It is believed that the eagle may be from the Mohawk nest, which has been missing its female for a while.
If the bird cannot be released back into the wild, the DEC will determine what is the best future for her. Options include a captive breeding program, or being used as an exhibit animal for educational purposes.
While the bald eagle is not an endangered animal, it is federally protected and the Fish and Wildlife Service considers it of special concern, according to Pencille. Because of this, it keeps a close eye on the birds.
“The DEC and Fish and Wildlife Service are watching every step I take,” said Pencille. “I’ve had to call them every week” regarding this bald eagle.
Pencille has a degree in animal science/biology from Cornell and has a permit to rehabilitate specific birds of prey at her property, which she has done for 25 years.
Pencille is hoping to build a larger flight cage to give the birds she rehabilitates more flying room. She is looking for corporate sponsors and private donations for the 50,000-to-60,000-square-foot structure.
“This is bigger in scale than anything to be done here before,” she said.
And the larger flight cage is absolutely needed, according to Pencille.
“In the last three years, we’ve had six eagles,” she said.
Pencille said she receives donations from local stores, the ethanol plant, educational institutions and private donors to operate Bless the Beast, but she also ends up paying out of pocket for rehab costs for the animals.
“Dr. Moran has done work for free, and the SPCA has provided X-rays and work for us,” she said, adding, “as long as (the DEC) trusts us, we’ll continue what we’re doing.”
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