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Jeff Cooper of the Department This bald eagle found injured on the side of U.S. 17 is now at the Wildlife Center of Virginia in Waynesboro. |
UPDATE: Injured bald eagle dies.
BY BILL FREEHLING
A bald eagle that may have been hit by a car was rescued yesterday morning off U.S. 17 in Stafford County.
The Stafford County Sheriff's Office got a call yesterday morning about a bald eagle on the side of U.S. 17 near the intersection of Hartwood Road.
Two Stafford animal control officers picked up the eagle, which had an injured left wing, said Stafford sheriff's spokesman Bill Kennedy.
The eagle appeared to have been attracted to the area by fresh roadkill, Kennedy said. Police believe it was accidentally hit by a car that did not stop afterward. There will be no charges.
The eagle was taken to the Hartwood Animal Hospital. Jeff Cooper of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries took it from there to the Wildlife Center of Virginia in Waynesboro.
Cooper said the eagle may have injured the wing during a fight with another bird. But he suspected that the eagle was indeed hit by a car, as it was found close to the road.
Cooper said it was a small male eagle whose white head and tail indicated that it was at least 5 years old. He drove the eagle to Waynesboro in a dog crate and described the bird as "fairly docile."
Cooper said there is a large bald eagle population not far from the Fredericksburg area, including along the Potomac River. He said it's common for his department to pick up injured birds, especially at this time of the year when eagles breed.
The eagle was scheduled to undergo X-rays and other treatment at the wildlife center, Cooper said.
Bill Freehling: 540/374-5424
