Local `Eagle-whisperer' helps band eaglet
Sequoia Park Zoo director visits National Arboretum in D.C.
Sequoia Park Zoo director Jim Campbell-spickler, who is reputed to be an “eagle whisperer,” recently tested out his skills on the East Coast when he was invited to assist with the banding of a 6-week-old bald eagle.
His notable tree-climbing skills also helped.
“It was an honor to climb the nest tree and work with this famous little eaglet,” Campbell-spickler said in a news release. “We're waiting on lab results, but our initial health assessment and detailed measurements suggest that we have a happy and healthy baby boy!”
Using ropes and safety harnesses, Campbell-spickler scaled the 80-foot poplar tree in the National Arboretum, gently placed the young bird in a special eagle bag, and then carried it to the ground for an overall health assessment by experts with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the D.C. Department of Energy and Environment. This routine process included collecting beak and foot measurements, a blood draw, a feather sample, and the placement of an identification band. The eaglet, known as DC9, was then safely returned to the nest by Campbell-spickler.
Scientific processes like this assessment and banding allow experts to monitor the health of individual animals, as well as collect long-term data about a species. Ankle bands allow birds like DC9 to be identified and tracked, which aids in the mapping of migratory routes, territories, and flight patterns. Small blood and feather samples provide invaluable insight into the overall health of local watersheds and ecosystems, especially urban rivers and human-impacted waterways.
Bald eagles feed primarily from water sources and will prey on fish, waterfowl, and other aquatic-adjacent animals. Toxic organochlorides, lead, rodenticides, and other pollutants in the environment are found amplified in the tissues of predatory birds as they feed from the contaminated ecosystem. Eaglets depend on their parents to bring them food and are usually fed from one source within their territory. Testing tissue from young birds like DC9 offers scientists the opportunity to assess environmental toxins and monitor the overall health of the local watershed.
Keen observers of the National Arboretum's eagle cameras were treated to a live-streamed view of Campbell-spickler as he ascended the tree and entered the nest. Campbell-spickler calmly observed the eaglet for signs of distress or discomfort while evaluating the massive structure, which featured an impressive network of woven branches and a fresh fish carcass. Eagle parents will often return to the same nest year after year, and some eagles' nests can grow to over 1,500 pounds as the pair continues to add and renovate.
DC9 hatched in late March to parent eagles affectionately known as Mr. President and Lady of the United States, or Lotus. Mr. President and Lotus are nesting in a tulip poplar tree at the United States National Arboretum, operated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This exclusive banding opportunity is a result of the collaborative effort of government agencies and National Geographic, which was on location to film the process.
“It's amazing to me how fast they grow. In a couple weeks, DC9 will be flying over our nation's Capital, learning how to hunt and provide for himself,” Campbell-spickler said in a news release.