Bald Eagle

The Bald Eagle is a common bird along the coast of British Columbia and they are also found in the interior of the province. Many are injured from man's encroachment on their habitat, throughout the year, and Wildlife Rehab Shelter nurses them back to health. The injured eagles require help from the shelter for medical care, food and protection while they heal and regain their strength to be released.

Following, is one story of the eagle to the left, his recovery and release to back into the wild.


Rescued from the hopper
Gunther had to climb down into a large grain hopper to rescue me. By the time I was found, three other eagles that were trapped in the hopper with me, had already died.
Hungry Eagle!
My first solid food. I am not very well yet, as you can tell, because I am still under the heating unit which helps to keep me warm.
Back on his feet
I'm feeling better now and am a very lucky eagle.
Joining others
I am now strong enough to go into the flight area with the rest of the recuperating eagles. When I am able to fly and hunt again, they will let me go back into the wild to be free again.
Soar, Like an Eagle
Well, there goes that eagle. I'm feeling much better now. I hope, I can be next to leave.
Off I Go!

Off I Go.... UP,UP & AWAY !

Thanks, Nancy & Gunther !

Here is another story of a very special eagle. For three mornings after the eagle was released, Nancy found him waiting outside the eagle cage. Flying Eagle She asked him if he wanted his breakfast and he would follow her into the cage. This is remarkable, in itself. After eating, she would offer him the door and he would fly away. We can only guess that he just wanted a few more free meals. He had been at the Shelter for about 5 months, after he had been found with a broken wing and poisoned. It was a miracle he had survived, as he was in terrible shape. During his recovery, when Nancy was in the cage cleaning, he would reach out and gently pull on her shirt to get her attention. He was named "The Gentleman", because he always was. Being marked before his release, he was recognizable. About 5 months later, he arrived back at the shelter one day for a visit. About a dozen other mature eagles had accompanied him. This close of a bond from an eagle, has never happened before or since, to Nancy.


Wart above eye

This young eagle was brought in to the shelter, suffering from malnutrition. A growth above his eye made it impossible for him to see properly or hunt accurately. The growth was removed by massaging the virus caused by a wart. This gave back his ability to live in the wild and fend for himself again.



Deceased Eagle These are some photographs taken of a deceased eagle. Even in death she has a story to tell. By the Yellowhead highway east of Prince Rupert, it had been feeding on the carcass of a road killed moose. She was not able to fly straight up, upon takeoff, and angled-across the road where she was hit and killed by a car. Her transmitter and leg band, identified her as part of an American study on eagles. She was trapped on the Skagit River on 2/5/98 and was a particularly aggressive female (usually the females are placid, and the males bite and squirm). Leaving the Skagit River on 2/18/98 and migrating along the BC Coast to SE Alaska on March 27th. She remained in the island chain of Wrangell, Mitkof and Kupreanof for the summer of `98, was a non-breeder & four years old in the spring. On the 22nd of January 1999, she moved to the Nass River and spent February on Work Channel. Her last location and transmission was on 2/23/99 at 7:51 PM, just south of Prince Rupert. She must have flown east on the 24th where she was hit and killed. The most interesting aspect of her movements was that she didn't migrate southward in the winter, and most of the birds in the study did. It is possible she was starting to move south late in the winter when she was killed.

Eagle Transmitter Eagle Leg Tag


Eagles are trapped river on gravel bars, where they feed on salmon carcasses. Snares, placed around the carcasses, are controlled remotely and used to capture the birds. Blue band markers are attached to the legs of all captured eagles. This identifies the area (S=Skagit River), it's year of capture (8=1998), and a letter specific to the eagle (K). Satellite transmitters are can be attached to the adult eagles, with backpack harnesses. Signals from the transmitters are received by NOAA satellites and location data is sent to ground stations,which is then retrieved and analyzed by biologists. Within two hours of transmission, a biologist can know the location of an eagle anywhere in the world. Transmitters function for three years and then drop from the birds. All eagle carcasses are accounted for and returned to the Conservation Officers. The above eagle was given special permission to be shipped frozen to Vancouver, BC. There, she was retrieved by her study group for an autopsy.

Other Eagles We Have Known

Three Eagles
Eagle Bath

Eagles in Flight Cage These eagles are enjoying the benefits of the flight cage as they grow stronger in order to be released.

Upside Down Eagle

This eagle is hanging from the net roof of the pen. He came in 10 weeks prior, with a broken wing. This is how we can gauge if they are healthy, strong and full of life again. It is a good sign and shows they are ready to be released, soon.


© Prince Rupert Wildlife Rehab Shelter
Email: wildlife@citytel.net