Eagle Release

At the World Bird Sanctuary a Bald Eagle release is always a cause for excitement!

On August 30 as I entered the site on my way to the office for my usual volunteer duties I was stopped by Sanctuary Manager, Joe Hoffmann, who asked if I had my camera with me.  All staff and volunteers at WBS wear many hats.  My other hat, in addition to office duties, is as one of several staff photographers.  Everyone knows that I seldom go anywhere without a camera in tow.  Joe told me that they were releasing a Bald Eagle at Lone Elk Park in about thirty minutes!

Drawing names from a hat to determine who will release the bird

The eagle being released this day was a juvenile from the Lake of the Ozarks.  She had fallen out of her nest too early and was not yet able to fly or hunt on her own.  (We believe this bird is a female due to her size—females are larger than males.)  After two and a half months of perfecting her flying skills in one of our large exercise mews we felt she was ready to be released.

Usually a Bald Eagle release is cause for much fanfare, with dignitaries and news media present.  However, this time it had been decided to make this a quiet in-house affair and to give the members of our Tuesday Crew the honor of releasing this bird.

 Tuesday Crew member Bill Kleyboecker won the honor of releasing the eagle

The Tuesday Crew members are an indispensable part of our organization—retired tradesmen who literally keep our organization together with their various construction skills.  They volunteer their skills and expertise every Tuesday come rain or shine.  Today one of them would get to release this majestic Bald Eagle back into the wild, cheered on by the rest of the “crew”.  The choice of who would do the actual release was decided by drawing names from a hat.  Crew member Bill Kleyboecker was the lucky winner.

Removing an uncooperative bird from a crate is never easy

Everyone gathered expectantly at the Lone Elk visitors’ center building.  The time had come to remove our young eagle from her crate—not an easy job since she saw absolutely no reason to cooperate!

 A beautiful release!

Once our youngster was properly positioned Bill lofted her into the air and she burst out of his arms with strong forceful wing beats, making a beeline for the trees at the edge of the lake—and freedom!

 Free at last!

Moments like these are what remind us why we do what we do.  If you would like to volunteer at the World Bird Sanctuary call 636-225-4390 and ask for Teri, or go to our website, click on the “About” header, and click on “Volunteer Program” in the dropdown menu for more information and an application.

Submitted by Gay Schroer, World Bird Sanctuary Volunteer/Photographer