Eagle released after treatment
WALNUT CREEK >> A young bald eaglet was released Wednesday after being cared for at a Walnut Creek rehabilitation center after two falls from a from a Milpitas redwood tree.
“The eaglet was successfully released very early Wednesday morning,” Elisabeth Nardi, a spokeswoman for the Lindsay Wildlife Rehabilitation Hospital said in an emailed statement Wednesday morning. The center did not say where the eaglet was released.
“For the safety and welfare of the animal the location is not being disclosed at this time. It is imperative that this animal be left alone so it can have a chance in the wild,” Nardi said, attributing the secrecy around the location to directives from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The roughly 3-monthold raptor had a hectic experience over the past few days. It fell Sunday morning from the tree where it and its family were nesting, then spent the night on the ground and endured a second fall Monday afternoon after state wildlife officials tried but failed to place it into another nearby tree.
“Lucky,” as local bird watchers have affectionately dubbed the eaglet, was taken to the hospital in Walnut Creek to be evaluated Monday night, and again on Tuesday.
Dr. Allison Daugherty, a veterinarian there, said Tuesday the 8-pound eaglet had a small bruise on its left wing but no major injuries from the spills.
“Medically, from my standpoint, the eagle looks pretty healthy,” Daugherty said, adding that it was given rehydrating fluids Monday night and more fluids along with some mice to eat Tuesday.
This was the first time a bald eagle has been treated at the hospital in roughly 20 years, she added.
Daugherty said earlier that many factors would be considered when determining whether the eaglet should be returned to the tree at Curtner Elementary School or released elsewhere.