Alabama Wildlife Officials Release A Mature Bald Eagle On Weiss Lake

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 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.

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.

Well over 100 spectators including a number of elected officials turned out for the release.

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