Alabama officials to release bald eagle at Cedar Bluff today
Alabama wildlife officials will release a mature bald eagle Thursday at noon Central time from a boat launch off Alabama Highway 9 just west of Cedar Bluff. Marianne Hudson, a wildlife biologist with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, said the eagle has been rehabbing at the Southeastern Raptor Center at Auburn University since it was recovered July 15, 2017.
The boat launch alongside the causeway, between Cedar Bluff and Centre, was chosen for the release because it is a designated sight on the Alabama Birding Trail, largely for the large number of wading birds that can be seen along that stretch of the Coosa River and Weiss Lake.
The eagle was found grounded and debilitated at an undisclosed location on the lake last summer and taken immediately to the raptor center at Auburn. At the time it weighed 8.57 pounds, but there was no obvious cause of injury.
Hudson said blood tests performed a couple of days after the eagle was admitted to the raptor center were negative for lead poisoning and no indication of Avian Vacuolar Myelinopathy, AVM, a nerve related disorder than is frequently observed in eagles.
“I know it’s kind of in the middle of the day but if anybody is on a lunch break, it’s not going to be a very long event,” Hudson said. “Anyone wanting to see a bald eagle on its flight to freedom after undergoing nearly a year of medical treatment, this will be a really good opportunity for that.”
Joy Perry, the membership and events coordinator at the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce in Centre, said her office had gotten a lot of calls from people wanting to watch the release.
Hudson said wildlife officials always try to release injured eagles in the area where they were found.
The boat ramp is located a very short distance across a large cove, from a nest that has been active for a number of years. It’s also not far from a nest on Hogg Island, but there are several other nests on Weiss Lake that could have been a breeding location for the bird.