Injured Eagle Rescued for Rehabilitation

Assistant Superintendent, Josh Webb, spotted an eagle that appeared to be injured between holes #4 and #5 on the morning of Easter Sunday while prepping the golf course for play.  As he approached the eagle, it was clear that it was indeed injured and was in need of assistance.   

Josh knew he had to act quickly as the first golfers of the day would be arriving soon which would put the eagle at risk of being further injured if it were struck by a golf ball.  He immediately contacted the volunteers at O.W.L. (http://www.owlcanada.org/) to inform them of the injured eagle and they were eager to come and rescue her to assess her injuries and determine the best course of action for her rehabilitation, recovery and eventual release back onto the golf course.  We are very fortunate to have a local organization such as O.W.L. to call upon when we come across wildlife in need of professional care.  You may recall that in the spring of last year they came to the aid of an injured juvenile Great Horned Owl that they fittingly named "Tres" after being found on hole #3 (http://qgolfclub.blogspot.ca/2012/04/quilchena-wildlife.html).

With the help of their expert care, Tres completely recovered and was released back onto the course a few months later (http://qgolfclub.blogspot.ca/2012/08/update-rescued-great-horned-owl-released.html).

It's been brought to our attention that Tres was recently in need of some more assistance from O.W.L. volunteers as it appeared to be in a "food coma" and wasn't very mobile after devouring an entire duck.  They did report that he appeared to be very healthy and is doing extremely well.  Lack of appetite is clearly not a concern for Tres! 

Okay, enough about Tres for now, I'll get back on topic.  A short time after receiving the call from Josh, O.W.L. volunteer Ellen was on the scene to rescue the injured eagle.  Ellen quickly contained her to protect her from further injuries and any additional stress.  Here are some more photos of this magnificent eagle:

O.W.L. volunteers informed us today that the eagle sustained a fractured metacarpal, which would be similar to broken wrist for a human.  They suspect that she was likely an "intruder" that was attacked by our resident eagles as they protected their territory.  We will keep a close eye on our resident eagles nests to try and determine if they are all accounted for.  Her recovery is expected to be a couple months long and once she is completely rehabilitated, they will contact us to schedule her release back onto the golf course.  We will be in touch with them throughout the recovery process to track her progress and provide updates.