Thursday, December 24, 2009

Bald Eagle Rescued in Essex County

According to nj.com, a juvenile bald eagle was discovered trapped in a tall grass embankment at a Short Hills reservoir on the property of New Jersey American Water.

The eagle had entered the ice-cold water in a marshy area nearby and was unable to fly out because of heavy winds and apparent neurological damage from lead it had consumed.

The Raptor Trust, a Millington-based bird sanctuary, was brought in to rescue and rehabilitate the bird. Eagles sometimes contract lead poisoning from eating deer carcasses that contain buckshot. This was the Raptor Trust’s first Essex County eagle rescue.

The reservoir property is a habitat for migratory water fowl and eagle sightings have become more numerous in recent years.

After treatment at the Raptor Trust, the eagle will hopefully be returned to the reservoir and released.

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