Eagle Soars Again

Eagle released at state park

By Aaron VanTuyl February 13, 2006

WINLOCK -- A bald eagle found injured at Lewis and Clark State Park on Dec. 23 was sent back into the wild on Saturday, not far from where she was originally discovered.
"As you can see, she's awfully sick of us," said Bob Sallinger, urban conservation director for the Portland Audubon Society Wildlife Care Center.
Nearly 70 eagle enthusiasts gathered in an open back field at the park to witness the 13 1/2-pound bird take flight after nearly seven weeks of recuperation at the Portland care center. Among the crowd was Barry Gilmon, the local hiker who first found the bird.
"It tried to fly, and then took off walking," said Gilmon, of his eagle encounter. "It kind of looked at me, and I looked at it."
The bird, according to Gilmon, was about 15 yards off of the trail, wandering through old-growth timber.
"What do you do?" he asked.
Gilmon called John Liparelli, a park ranger with Lewis and Clark State Park, who helped two other wildlife workers recover the bird. The eagle had sustained a head wound and a flesh injury on her wing, and was hopping through the forest, covering about eight feet with each bound.
"It's one of the scariest things I've done," said Liparelli, laughing. "They're an interesting creature, and kind of vicious at times."
On Dec. 23, the bird was captured using a salmon fishing net, and was safely taken to the Ocean Beach Animal Hospital. The next day, she was transferred to the Portland Audubon center, where she quickly recovered.
At the center, the eagle was set in a small cage, and then was moved to a 100-foot-long, 30-foot-wide, 30-foot-high flight cage. Her first stint in the flight cage was unsuccessful, but, after further recuperation, she was given a second chance.
"She tore the d--- thing apart," said a happy Sallinger. "She's made a full recovery, and we feel very good about the bird."
A few minutes after noon on Saturday, Sallinger pulled the big white-headed female out of the small cage. He removed a leather hood, in place to keep the bird calm during transportation. After showing off the impressive eagle to the crowd, he handed the bird over to Karen Munday, an urban wildlife specialist with Portland Audubon, who stepped out into the field to set the bird free.
Rather than take off, the eagle wandered around the field for a few minutes before taking flight.
"It went great," said Sallinger, who warned the crowd in advance that if the eagle didn't take off immediately, nothing was wrong.
Sometimes, he said, the birds like to get a feel for their surroundings before flying.
"She'll build up her stamina over time," he added. "She's night and day from when she came in."
Aaron VanTuyl covers education and religion for The Chronicle. He may be reached at 807-8237 or by e-mail at avantuyl@chronline.com.