T
he Kootenai River eagles, often seen at the Kootenai Wildlife Refuge near Bonners Ferry, have returned to the same nest, successfully raising twin eaglets for several years. The pair have provided many onlookers with a unique and wonderful glimpse into their world. As a nature and wildlife photographer, I routinely visited the active nest on a daily basis. The 2020 season was especially exciting. Instead of twin eaglets, there were triplets! Three babies hatched several days apart and were vastly different in size and strength. The firstborn and much larger youngster had taken his first flight and fledged, but remained close to the nest. Ten days later, the second eaglet was observed performing the same first flight ritual of wing flapping and hopping on the nest when its left wing came down on a branch that was vertical and erect. As the young bird struggled to free itself, the impaled branch only went deeper and further through the wing. The trapped eaglet’s repeated attempts to free itself resulted in it hanging by the trapped wing, with its feet dangling off the side of the nest. The nest was precariously placed, approximately 75 feet in the air and between two trees that leaned out over the river. The bird’s entire weight was supported only by the branch that impaled the wing. Realizing time was of the essence, I contacted the experts in raptor rescue and a local arborist who could determine if it was feasible to access the nest and safely free the doomed eaglet. Janie and Don Veltkamp of Birds of Prey Northwest traveled to assist while Michael Richardson, Sarah Jimenez, and Matt Bennett of Skywalker Tree Care assessed the grave situation. Boat captain Genny Hoyle was also available to help. The boat was positioned with Captain Genny and Sarah on board, in the event the remaining youngest eagle tried to fly from the nest and drop into the river. Indeed, when Michael ultimately reached the nest, the second eaglet did awkwardly fly from her home, landing in the water but safely at the river’s edge. Since this fallen bird was not quite ready to fly well on its own, it would be taken to BOPNW’s facility in St. Maries for two weeks of additional growth before being released. Carrying a raptor hood, Michael and Matt made the long and cautious climb up the tree from the ground. When they reached the severely injured eagle, the bird was exhausted, weak, and in shock. Placing a hood over the bird’s head helped SandpointMagazine.com SANDPOINT M A G A Z I N E
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