Portrait of a survivor
This is an American Bald Eagle, photographed just before it was released back into the wild. On February 1st, some people who live near Lake Michigan were watching four eagles eating something out on a patch of pancake ice on the lake near their home. They noticed that one of the eagles was in trouble and could not fly. They made some calls to find help for the eagle and wound up calling Wings of Wonder, a local raptor sanctuary and rehabilitation center. The men who responded to their call found that the eagle was unable to fly because it was stuck to a huge ball of ice. (The link below will take you to a YouTube video of the eagle's rescue.) When I learned that the eagle was going to be released back into the wild yesterday afternoon, I wanted to witness the eagle's release and, if possible, get photos. I was not alone!! A large crowd showed up in the parking lot of the Suttons Bay High School to see the eagle and its release. Members of the local Odawa Tribe, to whom the eagle is sacred, came to drum and sing for it. Rebecca Lessard, the founder and director of Wings of Wonder, told us that the eagle is an adult male, at least five years old, and gave us a brief description of the eagle's rescue and the care he received over the past week and a half. Then, holding the eagle in front of her, she walked along a line in front of us so that we could see and photograph the eagle before she set it down on the ground (facing it away from the onlookers), and let it go. The eagle immediately took some running steps and was airborne. I got a lot of pictures of the eagle as Rebecca was holding it, but when it came to catching it in the air, my frozen fingers stopped working and I was satisfied just watching this magnificent bird take flight.
See two more pics in the initial comment boxes.
If you have the time, I believe you will find viewing the YouTube video of this Eagle's rescue very rewarding. I still get emotional as I view the rescue, and the care given this magnificent bird, before it was released back into the wild.
Portrait of a survivor
This is an American Bald Eagle, photographed just before it was released back into the wild. On February 1st, some people who live near Lake Michigan were watching four eagles eating something out on a patch of pancake ice on the lake near their home. They noticed that one of the eagles was in trouble and could not fly. They made some calls to find help for the eagle and wound up calling Wings of Wonder, a local raptor sanctuary and rehabilitation center. The men who responded to their call found that the eagle was unable to fly because it was stuck to a huge ball of ice. (The link below will take you to a YouTube video of the eagle's rescue.) When I learned that the eagle was going to be released back into the wild yesterday afternoon, I wanted to witness the eagle's release and, if possible, get photos. I was not alone!! A large crowd showed up in the parking lot of the Suttons Bay High School to see the eagle and its release. Members of the local Odawa Tribe, to whom the eagle is sacred, came to drum and sing for it. Rebecca Lessard, the founder and director of Wings of Wonder, told us that the eagle is an adult male, at least five years old, and gave us a brief description of the eagle's rescue and the care he received over the past week and a half. Then, holding the eagle in front of her, she walked along a line in front of us so that we could see and photograph the eagle before she set it down on the ground (facing it away from the onlookers), and let it go. The eagle immediately took some running steps and was airborne. I got a lot of pictures of the eagle as Rebecca was holding it, but when it came to catching it in the air, my frozen fingers stopped working and I was satisfied just watching this magnificent bird take flight.
See two more pics in the initial comment boxes.
If you have the time, I believe you will find viewing the YouTube video of this Eagle's rescue very rewarding. I still get emotional as I view the rescue, and the care given this magnificent bird, before it was released back into the wild.