Injured Eaglet Reunited With Family At Del Valle Regional Park

LIVERMORE, CA - A 10-week-old bald eaglet sibling injured after his nest fell off a broken tree was able to reunite with his family and soar high in time for the 4th of July.

On June 11, a heavy windstorm snapped the trunk of the tree carrying the nest located on ranchland near Del Valle Regional Park in Livermore, the East Bay Regional Park District said in a news release.

East Bay Regional Park District

Park District Wildlife Biologist David “Doc Quack” Riensche was notified the following morning by neighboring ranchers, who noticed adult bald eagles guarding the falling nest site. Soon after, the ranchers noticed a 10.5-week-old male eagle on top of a pile of debris with his wing folded back. Fledgelings that age may not be able to fully fly yet, and are still dependent on parental care, the park district said.

East Bay Regional Park District

Riensche and Wildlife Program Manager Doug Bell met on set to remove the eaglet from the debris and transport it to Lindsay Wildlife Hospital in Walnut Creek, where he was treated for a fractured wing bone.

East Bay Regional Park District

As he was healing, ranchers reported seeing his young sibling in flight. After an extensive healing process and all the necessary permits, vets and Del Valle staff met to discuss a release plan. Although the “eaglet with attitude” was initially resistant, he eventually walked out of the kennel on the release site near his old nest, and began to fly.

Around noon the next day, ranch managers reported seeing both eaglets in the same tree, one attending adult fed another one of the fledgelings. All’s well that ends well.