Injured bald eagle gets permanent home

BY LESLIE LAKE SUN CORRESPONDENT | llake@amisun.com

BRADENTON BEACH - Facing an uncertain future for the past several months, an injured bald eagle has been relocated to her permanent home in Kentucky.

On April 6, volunteers from the Somerset Kentucky-based Liberty Nature Center made the 800-plus mile drive to the Bradenton Beach-based Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Inc. to pick up the 5-year old female eagle and drive her back to their facility, where she will serve as an educational bird.

The bald eagle had been at Wildlife Inc. since January after being found at an industrial park in East Bradenton with an eye injury.

“She also tested positive for West Nile virus and once we got her through the illness, we realized she was having difficulty seeing,” Wildlife Inc. volunteer Krista Carpenter said. “We made an appointment with a specialist for an eye exam. Once we officially found out that she was mostly blind, we knew we had to find her a home.”

The ophthalmologist at Tampa Bay Veterinary Services said the eagle was blind in one eye and had only 20% vision in the other. He suggested that she would make a good educational bird and Wildlife Inc. volunteers went to work posting on social media.

“She had problems seeing and if she did not find a permanent home, she would be non-releasable due to her inability to see,” Carpenter said. “When an animal can’t be released, Wildlife Inc. has two options - for her to become an educational animal or to be euthanized.”

Carpenter said those volunteer efforts led to the connection with Liberty Nature Center, a facility that provides permanent care for animals that can’t be released back into the wild.

“We couldn’t let her be eutha nized,” Carpenter said. “She’s way too young.”

Carpenter said once the connection with the Kentucky rescue organization was made, things moved quickly to set a day for pick-up.

“Today 23-0053 (her identification number) left to start her future as an education bird,”

Carpenter said on April 6.

Wildlife Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit wildlife rehabilitation clinic, operates out of the Bradenton Beach home of its founders, Ed and Gail Straight. It is manned by professional staff and volunteers who manage the feeding and care of thousands of animals each year. The organization’s goal is to release native wildlife back into the wild. They accept calls from the public about injured animals and send trained staff out to assist and transport wildlife to the facility when necessary. Wildlife Inc. can be reached at 941-778-6324.

The speaker’s podium in the commission chambers is equipped with a new televic microphone.

New mics installed in commission chambers

The Bradenton Beach City Commission chambers are equipped with new microphones and a new audio recording system. Supplied and installed by Bis Digital, the $29,529 system includes televic microphones that make it easier to hear the commission members, board members, city staff and public speakers during city meetings. The new system also provides the city clerk’s office with better recordings of the city meetings.

Tickets available for final show of season

Although the box office doesn’t open until Monday, April 24, The Island Players have tickets on sale online for their final production of the 2022-23 season. “How the Other Half Loves,” written by Alan Ayckbourn and directed by James Thaggard, runs May 4-14 at the Island Players, at the corner of Gulf Drive and Pine Avenue in Anna Maria. Many shows sell out, so everyone is encouraged to purchase tickets in advance at www.theislandplayers.org. Online tickets are $27 and Visa, Mastercard and Discover are accepted.

Farmers Market continues through May 9

The City of Anna Maria Farmer’s Market at City Pier Park will continue through May 9. Held on Tuesdays from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., the market features more than a dozen produce and specialty food vendors, including popcorn, gourmet pickles, herb starters, local honey and jams, guacamole and salsa, fresh pastas and meat pies, grab-and-go Italian specialties, a florist and more. Proceeds go to support the Anna Maria Island Historical Society's scholarship program.

Cajun crawfish boil planned at Center

Tickets are now on sale for the Cajun Crawfish Boil on Saturday, May 6 from 5-8 p.m. A portion of ticket proceeds supports The Center of Anna Maria Island’s spring campaign. There will be Kentucky Derby Day events including a Derby Hat Contest, Kentucky Derby viewing and crawfish racing. The menu includes fresh crawfish, shrimp gumbo, seafood jambalaya, red beans and rice, bourbon bread pudding and free soft drinks and water. The event is presented by AMI Offshore Fishing and Capt. Sam Major and AMI Dolphin Tours. Tickets are $60 for adults and may be purchased online at centerami.org/events. Register by May 4. For more information, call 941-778-1908. The Center is located at 407 Magnolia Ave., Anna Maria.