Bald eagle chicks rescued in Washington get second chance ahead of U.S. 250th anniversary

PULLMAN, Wash. — Two bald eagle chicks rescued from a nest near active power lines outside Wenatchee have been given a second chance at life in the wild after weeks of intensive care at Washington State University’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

WSU noted their rescue was exceptionally timely, coming as the country prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary. The eagle has served as a national symbol of the United States since 1782.

The chicks came into human care after their parents built a nest on a power structure near Wenatchee, Washington, near Bonneville Power Administration’s Valhalla substation. The nest sat on the top, right-hand side of the structure, where branches were beginning to contact electrical lines, creating a risk of fire and power outages.

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After consulting with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and obtaining permits, BPA’s Wenatchee district Transmission Line Maintenance crew deployed three linemen to retrieve the chicks from the nest. The birds were then transferred to WSU for treatment.

One chick was only days old. The other was still trying to hatch when the nest was removed, and it became stuck inside the egg. Dr. Marcie Logsdon, an avian specialist and certified wildlife rehabilitator with WSU’s Exotics and Wildlife Service, carefully assisted the chick out. The bird also had an exposed yolk sac, which created a potential route for infection.

“Things were definitely touch and go there for a bit, but they recovered quickly and were soon eating 20% to 40% of their body weight every day,” Logsdon said. “They were growing like weeds.”

WSU said the birds are the youngest bald eagles ever treated by the university’s wildlife team. To prevent the chicks from imprinting on people, staff wore face coverings during feedings, used eagle-themed puppets, played recordings from bald eagle nest cameras, and avoided talking around them.

“We really want them to grow up knowing they are bald eagles and not people,” Logsdon said.

After weeks of care, the eaglets were placed into a wild foster nest in the Wenatchee area, where they are being raised alongside a third eaglet by adult bald eagles. WSU worked with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, wildlife rehabilitators, eagle experts and veterinarians around the country to find a suitable nest. Several options were considered before the team selected a nest with a single eaglet of nearly the same age as the WSU chicks.

“It’s really not as simple as finding an eagle nest and placing the chicks inside,” said Alysha Evans, wildlife rehabilitation and falconry program manager for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. “You need experienced parents, chicks of a similar age, and a nest that can be safely monitored afterward to make sure all of the eaglets are thriving.”

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The nest was being monitored by eagle photographer Julanne Burts, whose observations helped confirm there was only one eaglet in the nest.

“I spend a lot of time watching these nests, so when WSU reached out, I felt pretty confident there was only one eaglet there,” Burts said. “It was exciting to know the information I was collecting could help give these two chicks a second chance.”

To place the chicks into the foster nest, the team enlisted Leavenworth-area arborist Robbie Brown, a volunteer with Canopy Cat Rescue, a nonprofit that rescues cats stranded in trees.

“Do you want to climb a tree to save some eagles?” Brown recalled being asked. “I was like, ‘You tell me where and I’ll be there.’”

The transfer happened in windy conditions with sunset approaching. After hiking to the site, Brown used specialized climbing equipment to scale the large tree supporting the nest.

“I was pretty shocked when I saw it,” Brown said. “The eagle nest is huge. It’s the size of a loveseat.”

Brown first hoisted a fish into the nest to distract the resident eaglet and give the adult eagles something to feed the new arrivals. He then raised each WSU eaglet in a protective bag and placed them into the nest one at a time.

“Climbing the tree was challenging, but putting the eaglets in the nest was surprisingly easy,” Brown said. “I thought, ‘What a way to spend the day.’”

Within days, Burts confirmed all three eaglets were being fed and cared for by the foster parents. The eaglets have also been fitted with U.S. Geological Survey identification bands that may help researchers track them in the future.

“Raptors are remarkably good at caring for extra babies,” Logsdon said. “If the chicks are acting like wild chicks and begging appropriately, the parents usually respond to that.”

WSU said the rescue and foster placement is part of the university’s long-running raptor and wildlife rehabilitation work, which traces back to veterinarian and falconer Dr. Erik Stauber, who helped establish raptor rehabilitation at WSU during the 1970s and 1980s. The Veterinary Teaching Hospital treats a range of birds of prey, including owls, hawks, falcons, osprey, golden eagles and bald eagles. WSU said it treats around 10 bald eagles each year, many suffering from lead poisoning after ingesting ammunition fragments while scavenging deer and elk remains left behind by hunters.