SEQUIM – Three bald eagles found this month on the North Olympic Peninsula are being treated at the Northwest Raptor Center in Sequim – and one appears to have been shot.
Two of the eagles were injured in fights, said Steve Rankin, a volunteer at the center.
Another appeared uninjured when it was brought to the center at 1051 W. Oak Court.
It was brought in from the Forks area by a state Department of Fish and Wildlife representative after it uncharacteristically allowed a human to simply walk up to it and pick it up.
An examination on Wednesday found that the bird had several broken bones in its left wing “and appears to have been shot,” said Rankin.
“The are metal fragments in the wing,” he said.
The federal Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act of 1940 protects the eagles from being hunted or killed and makes breaking the law a federal felony.
A bird discovered Feb. 15 near the Pysht River had lost a fight with another eagle, said Rankin.
It was treated on Friday and Saturday at Greywolf Veterinary Hospital for a gash and a puncture wound from the other eagle’s talons.
The eagle, believed to be a female, was also showing signs of starvation, said Rankin.
“She has been eating really well” since her arrival, he said.
The Forks eagle, brought in some time after Feb. 15 – Rankin was unsure of the date – was being examined on Wednesday.
Rankin was unsure why it allowed itself to be picked up.
In its cage at the center, it acts like a wild bird, he said.
Another eagle also was being examined on Wednesday.
That eagle, brought in on Tuesday from Kala Point, had fight injuries, including a chest wound.
“The raptors tend to get into it in the air and then fall to the ground.
“Well, when they fell, the other one flew away and this one didn’t.”
During mating season, the center tends to see an increase in injured animals.
“This is the time of year where there is a lot of mating going on and there tends to be a lot of fighting between the birds,” Rankin said.
Even so, it is odd to have three eagles at once.
“It is unusual to get this many in this rapid a succession.”
Dr. Mike Tyler examined the birds and treated the wounds.
Once the birds are considered healthy, they will be released back into the wild.
“There are a couple of things that have to happen,” Rankin said.
“The animal has to recover and it has to still be wild,” Rankin said.
Four bald eagles are permanent residents of the center because their injuries prevent their release.
For more information, visit the Northwest Raptor Center’s Web site at www.nwraptorcenter.org.
