Powell River Orphaned Wildlife Society (PROWLS) members, including founder Merrilee Prior, have been busy this January helping out injured and/or lost birds, such as a swan found at Myrtle Point Golf Club with a sprained ankle.
Another swan was found earlier this month wandering through the Westview Ferry Terminal lineup, but was promptly taken by PROWLS back to Cranberry Lake, where it most likely came from.
Two recent juvenile eagle rescues are of note, of which Prior and PROWLS volunteers have shared with the Peak:
"There were two eagles, a young three-and-a-half-year-old male from Padgett [Road], and the eight-month-old female from Cranberry Lake," said Prior. "Both were quite far gone and not at all certain to survive, even with the best care."
The first young male bald eagle to be rescued was spotted in mid-January checking out a chicken coop in the Padgett Road area, and was found to be injured and unable to fly. PROWLS was called out to the area to check out the bird.
Prior has wrangled with raptors hundreds of times over the years, but getting control of the talons is always a challenge, she said.
"Back at PROWLS, we noted he was emaciated and his head leaned a bit to the right, the iris of his right eye showed signs of trauma, his tail was being held to the right and his stance leaned to the right," said Prior. "He had definitely hit something on his right side or been hit by something."
After speaking with the raptor experts at Orphaned Wildlife (OWL) in Delta, and sending them photos and videos, PROWLS volunteers offered the young eagle some salmon, which he devoured.
PROWLS volunteers said this was a good sign, and that later on he devoured a small chicken drumstick. He was flown out of qathet courtesy of Pacific Coastal Airlines.
The second juvenile eagle to be rescued by the PROWLS team recently was near Cranberry Lake.
"We received a call from a couple who had a large bird in their yard that wasn't doing well," said Prior. "It was a very large, juvenile, female bald eagle, and she was in a bad state."
Volunteers examined the bird and found it was emaciated and had clenched feet and talons; often an indication of lead poisoning, they believe.
"We know Cranberry Lake has a lot of old lead shot in the bottom mud from duck hunting days of the past," said Prior. "Bottom feeder birds ingest the lead shot and eagles eat the bottom feeders; that's the cycle of lead poisoning."
Prior said the two eagles are fortunate to be recovering at OWL in Delta, and that she heard today that they are both on the road to recovery.
"We should see their releases," added Prior.
PROWLS is in need of salmon, chicken or fish/meat donations. Contact Prior at 604.483.9787 to arrange a drop-off.
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