Environment DEC
From the October 2008 issue
Miscellaneous News Items
Belleayre Fall Festival to be Held Oct. 11-12 at Delaware and Ulster Railroad
A partnership between Belleayre Mountain and the Delaware and Ulster Railroad will help continue the annual Catskills-area tradition, which is in its 29th year. See the full press release for more about the festival and "Related Links" below for more information about Belleayre Mountain.
Distressed Eagle Makes Recovery
DEC's Bureau of Wildlife in Region 9 (western New York) reported recently that a young bald eagle found in serious distress earlier this summer near Grand Island has been successfully rehabilitated and returned to the wild.
A fisherman found this young bald eagle in bad condition and unable to fly. Thanks to the efforts of the Erie County SPCA and wildlife rehabilitators, she is back flying in the wild.
"Thanks to the cooperative and skillful efforts of the Erie County SPCA in Tonawanda and wildlife rehabilitators, the bald eagle is now healthy and has been returned to the wild where it belongs," said Mark Kandel, DEC Regional Wildlife Manager.
Discovered on June 27 by a fisherman, the distressed eagle, estimated at just 11 weeks old, was transferred to the SPCA in Tonawanda for initial rehabilitation. When found, the young female bird was underweight and incapable of flight. During rehabilitation, wildlife experts treated the eagle with antibiotics and provided it with proper nourishment. The bird responded positively to rehabilitation efforts, rapidly regaining its strength and health.
DEC and Canadian wildlife staff, including biologists from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Bird Studies Canada, collaboratively attempted to return the young eagle to the believed nest location in mid-July. However, the parent eagles were no longer present, and the young eagle was not yet mature enough to hunt successfully and survive on its own. So the bird was transferred to a rehabilitation facility with a flight enclosure in Orleans County to help increase its mobility and practice flying. By late August, the young eagle's health was sufficiently restored and it was capable of surviving on its own. It was successfully released back into the wild in late August in Orleans County.
Bald eagles are listed as a threatened species within New York State. More information about bald eagles is available on DEC's Bald Eagle web page. Bald eagles are a Provincially Endangered Species in Ontario, Canada as well. Information on bald eagle research and monitoring activities in Canada can be found at the Bird Studies-Canada website (see "Related Links" below).
Currently, bald eagles in the vicinity of Lakes Erie and Ontario are particularly susceptible to type-E botulism known to occur in these waterbodies. If you notice a distressed or dead eagle, please report it immediately to DEC's Endangered Species Unit at 518-402-8924, or the Region 9 Wildlife Unit at 716-851-7010.
Related Links
Belleayre Mountain (leaving DEC's site)
Bird Studies-Canada (leaving DEC's site)
