On the morning of Friday, February 10, 2017, the non-profit American Eagle Foundation removed one of two eaglets residing inside a wild nest in Northeast Florida due to a problem with one of its legs.
This eaglet, known as ‘Peace,’ along with its sibling ‘Hope’ and parents ‘Romeo’ & ‘Juliet,’ are the stars of the Northeast Florida (NEFL) Eagle Cam. Their daily activities are live-streamed 24/7 via two high-definition video cameras on
www.nefleaglecam.org.
On February 6, 2017, AEF Nest Cam Volunteers alerted AEF officials about noticeable balance problems that this 7-week-old eaglet was having due a possible injury to its right leg. After closely monitoring the eaglet for hours, we noticed black monofilament (commonly used for fishing) wrapped around the left foot, including the hallux.
The AEF immediately began talking to USFWS and making plans to rescue Peace in order to remove the fishing line from the eaglets foot.
Shortly after this discovery, however, the female parent, Juliet, appeared to be pulling and tugging on a clump of moss while going after a piece of food, and it is believed that the parent had removed the line from the eaglet’s foot, because the line was no longer noticeable.
Cam viewers coast to coast were beyond excited that the problem seemed to have been resolved by the parent without the need for human intervention.
On the night of February 7, a storm rolled through the area and caused a power outage for almost 24 hours and electricity to the cams was halted. When the electricity was restored on February 8, it was immediately noticed that Peace was still having significant balance issues and problems with the right leg when trying to walk.
Although the monofilament was gone, a decision was made on the evening of February 8 to continue plans for the rescue, this time with the intention of checking the eaglet for injuries or other potential problems that might be treatable.
On February 10th, AEF President Al Cecere, two professional tree climbers hired by the AEF , and several AEF volunteers, including Gretchen and John Butler, met at the nest site to plan and execute the removal of the eaglet from the nest. The entire process went smoothly. Peace was safely brought to the ground and Hope remained safe and sound in the nest.
Upon initial inspection at the nest site by a local Vet Tech from the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey and AEF President Al Cecere, the eaglet did not appear to have any apparent injuries. The eaglet was transferred to Winter Park Veterinary Clinic by AEF representatives for radiographs, blood tests and a physical checkup by a Veterinarian and thereafter to the Audubon Center For Birds Of Prey in Maitland, FL, for further care, treatment and blood testing, where the eaglet will stay until it has fully recovered.
Several additional blood tests are being processed and as soon as the results are in, a plan will be made to treat and/or return Peace to its nest.
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Today, the little bugger is improving but they are still monitoring the leg injury. Hopefully, in time, it will be renested.