“A bald eagle hit by a truck on Friday, Dec. 4, is recovering at the Badger Run Wildlife Rehab in Klamath Falls and getting tons of attention from Facebook followers.
‘What a beautiful creature! Her feet are as big as my hands,’ posted one fan.
The bird, the largest eagle the nonprofit facility has treated in 15 years, has a 6.5-foot wingspan.
She was too full from gorging on roadkill, however, to fly high enough to avoid a passing truck when she suddenly flew out of a ditch, says Liz Burton, Badger Run’s founder and wildlife care coordinator who captured the feisty, battered bird with the help of the driver.
The unnamed man, a contractor, called Badger Run, which cares for injured and orphaned wildlife, and stayed until the bird was safe in a carrier and on its way to be treated by a veterinarian.
‘This is the fiercest bird [Liz Burton] has ever dealt with,’ Badger Run posted on its Facebook page. ‘She’s the first eagle that has ever actively charged Liz and tried to talon her.’
‘It’s a good sign she’s fighting back,’ a commenter posted on Facebook. “Not a good sign when they have no fight in them. I think maybe she has a nest that she’s working on she does not want to leave her nest or her mate. Nesting season is just getting underway.”
The 11-pound bird was taken to East Ridge Animal Hospital in Klamath Falls where she was anesthetized in the carrier then given X-rays and examined by Dr. Marcie Keener.
The bird does not have fractures or internal injuries, but she does have low level-lead poisoning, possibly from lead from ammunition or fishing tackle that seeped into the food chain, says Burton.”
View the whole story here: https://www.oregonlive.com/environment/2020/12/battered-bald-eagle-recovers-at-klamath-falls-wildlife-rescue-after-flying-into-a-moving-truck.html