On Thursday May 3rd the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) dropped off a golden eagle to the CWRC. Golden eagles are very uncommon in Atlantic Canada and this one’s arrival was a first for our centre.
The bird was spotted swimming in the ocean about 3km northwest of Seal Island off the coast of Yarmouth by the crew of the lobster fishing vessel, “Wishful Dreams”. The crew turned their boat around and were able to lift the bird out of the water. The bird was quite exhausted and did not move very much. After a while it stood up and seemed to be more alert.
The crew contacted DNR who received the bird when the boat docked about 2 hours after plucking him from the water.
Upon arrival at our centre we gave the bird a thorough physical exam to look for obvious injuries or breaks. Fortunately none were found and a blood test showed no sign of lead poisoning. The bird seemed to be in overall good condition. Once stabilized the bird was placed in a small enclosure where he will be monitored until he is deemed fit enough to go to an outside enclosure to begin rehabilitation. We expect to have the bird with us for a couple of weeks.
Thank you to the fishermen who rescued this beautiful bird. He would most likely have drowned had they not done so.
If you would like to contribute to the care of this bird please make a donation.