POWERGRAMS

POWER OF GOOD Photo courtesy of Auburn University The Eagle Has Landed Big bird saved by concerned Environmental employee Eagle is recuperating at Auburn University. uring the past 20 years, Brian Hayes' job has taken him down untold miles of country roads. Until May 23, those lonesome pathways had never included the majestic national symbol. As Hayes drove through woods behind a locked gate below Henry Dam, he was amazed to see a bald eagle running along the dirt tire trail. "He sees my truck and it kind of startles him and he starts flapping down the road," said Hayes, Environmental Affairs specialist, General Services Complex. "He was flapping his wings, like he was trying to come off the ground, but he just couldn't quite make it." Overhead, a pair of eagles circled. Hayes was confident they were the mother and father protecting the eagle on the ground. Hayes telephoned his supervisor, who in turn called state wildlife experts, who said if the bird didn't appear injured and parents were nearby, it would most likely fly away soon. Hayes checks the dissolved oxygen levels at lake monitoring stations every seven to 10 days, so he was relieved to see no sign of the young eagle on his next visit to the site off Highway 77 outside Ohatchee. A week later, however, "he comes jumping out of a brush pile right beside the road and I knew something had to be wrong." Hayes watched the eagle run into the woods again, prompting a phone call to Tim and Fran Johnson, who volunteer Eagle hopped along dirt road for weeks. for the Alabama Wildlife Center at Oak Mountain State Park. The next day Hayes was back in the Henry Dam area and decided to see if he could find the eagle, which appeared after Hayes walked less than 100 yards from his parked truck. He dialed the Johnsons again, and within an hour Tim Johnson arrived. They found fish bones and bird feathers along the path, where it was apparent the eagle's parents had been dropping food to keep him alive. Photos by Brian Hayes D Eagle was captured by Tim Johnson. "He couldn't have survived that long on the ground without help," Hayes said. "We saw him running through the woods and Tim hemmed him up in his net, but the eagle was so strong he just broke through it. Tim had to catch him with his hands. You really have to be careful with their talons, and while Tim was holding him, the eagle bit his nose." Johnson took the eagle to the Oak Mountain facility, which is federally licensed to care for raptors, then on to Auburn University the next day in hopes of getting the big bird back in the air. Liz Crandall, of the Southeastern Raptor Center, said the future is good for the bird, which is probably about 2 years old. She said the eagle had a traumatic amputation of the tip of its right wing, which is similar to a person's arm being severed near the wrist. Doctors determined from X-rays the injury wasn't from a gunshot. The eagle will receive antibiotics and pain medication until the wound heals, but the crucial wing tip cannot be replaced, so the bird will never be able to fly, and cannot be released back into the wild. Federal law requires Auburn to turn the eagle over to a zoo or educational program. Crandall said there is interest from several zoos to adopt the eagle after it recovers. Eagles can live 30-35 years outdoors and about 50 years in captivity. "We want to find him a good home," said Crandall, the center's full-time rehabilitation specialist since 2005. "It's a lengthy legal process. The paperwork alone can take months." Since modest beginnings in the mid-1970s, the Southeastern Raptor Center has treated and released thousands of birds of prey, Crandall said. About 80 volunteers care for the raptors and help maintain the facility. Although the center is home to the internationally renowned eagles that fly over Jordan-Hare Stadium before Auburn football games, Crandall said there already are enough eagles for the university's needs. She said the bird captured by Hayes is not a candidate for their educational program. The center staff gives informative programs for thousands of schools, civic groups and churches in Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and Kentucky, Crandall said. They usually take six birds of prey, which can include hawks, eagles, falcons and owls, to educational events. Crandall said attendees see birds up close and view a customized multimedia presentation. "I hate knowing that the eagle won't be able to fly again, but I am glad that I could play a small role in keeping it alive," Hayes said. "I don't know how much longer it could have survived living on the ground. Luckily, we have places like the Wildlife Center and the AU Raptor center here in Alabama to handle things like this. They are the ones who deserve the most credit for keeping this bird alive." For more information about the Southeastern Raptor Center or to donate, visit its website at www. auburn.edu/raptor. By Chuck Chandler PAGE 5

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