Wolf Hollow Update on Bald Eagles Found at Mount Grant Preserve

– submitted by Shona Aitken, Education Coordinator | Wolf Hollow Wildlife Rehabilitation Center

We thought you might like to hear a little more about the two Bald Eagles that were unfortunately found dead atop Mount Grant Preserve. Accepting dead animals may seem like a weird thing for a wildlife rehabilitation center to do, but in addition to caring for injured and orphaned wild creatures, Wolf Hollow caries out a range of other work. This includes being permitted to collect deceased Bald Eagles – it’s illegal otherwise! Our role is to examine the birds, send a report to Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, then send the eagles to wildlife officers if needed, or store them until they can be sent to the National Feather Repository.

So, what did we discover? Basically, all of their injuries were consistent with hitting the ground very hard. They both had broken beak tips and internal hemorrhaging, and one had a broken neck, so we’re guessing that they were talon-grappling in mid-air, then failed to let go and pull out of the tumble in time. The question is whether they were a pair doing a courtship display, or two eagles fighting over territory.

We don’t know for sure what sexes the two eagles were because they look alike and they both weighed about 10 pounds, which is medium sized for a Bald Eagle. We’re guessing a male and a female because one had a noticeably larger head and beak (female) than the other. However, the larger one did have a fistful of feathers in her talons, which suggests that this wasn’t an entirely friendly encounter.

This is the time of year when staff at Wolf Hollow often respond to calls about eagles that are tangled in bushes, wrapped around tree branches or have landed in a pond, still with their talons locked. Usually they are fine and just need to be encouraged to let go of each other. That can be difficult for them because they have to change the position of their legs to be able to release their grip. Sometimes one or other of the birds has an injury that needs treatment, but often they are just exhausted and fly off after taking a rest. However, we’ve never experienced both birds dying on impact like this before.