I love bald eagles. In Idaho, up around Coeur d’ Alene, we would go watch them in January at the lake where they went to breed. You would see dozens of them there and they are magnificent in the wild.
People come from all over the world to photograph them there. I’ve also watched them in Northern Nevada in Carson City where they feed. They are a very big bird and I would not want to get attacked by one, but they are a hoot to watch. I can certainly see why they represent America. They fly free, are aggressive hunters and they strike you as a majestic.
In Virginia, a bald eagle was found alongside the road badly injured earlier this year. It has now been released back into the wild where it belongs and can roam free once again. The eagle was tenderly cared for at the Wildlife Center of Virginia for five months and last week all that love and caring finally paid off big time.
A ton of people of all ages and walks of life gathered in Albemarle County to watch the good-as-new, healed bald eagle be set free to soar the skies once more. The audience was stunned seconds after the eagle was released as it soared majestically like a champion into the trees. Ed Clark who is the co-founder and president of the center called the eagle’s progress nothing short of a miracle.
“When she came in she was badly, badly beaten up,” he said. “But she’s a tough bird and a strong bird.” The bird came to them with bruised lungs and a drooping wing. She must be strong because many that are injured like that never recover. She had no trouble taking flight when she was set free into the 525-acre Walnut Creek Park.
She now joins a record number of bald eagles in the state of Virginia. The bald eagle is the symbol of America’s strength and freedom. They have been brought back from the brink of extinction thanks to widespread conservation efforts. It is illegal to hunt them or disturb their nests.