Abandoned Baby Eagle Approves Of New Perch At Upper Tampa Bay

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL -- A 5-month-old bald eagle was released at Upper Tampa Bay Park on Friday, Aug. 31, after several months of rehabilitation.

Roger Newell, a volunteer with Tampa Bay Raptor Rescue, rescued the eagle in early June after the fledgling had fallen out of its nest near Valrico. The bird spent several months recuperating at The Audubon Center for Birds of Prey near Orlando, where it also learned to fly and hunt for food.

At about noon Friday, Newell and another Raptor Rescue volunteer took the eagle to Hillsborough County’s Upper Tampa Bay Park on the north shore of Tampa Bay. Newell removed the hood from the bird’s eyes, gave it a few minutes to recuperate from the drive along Interstate 4, and gently tossed the bird aloft.

The eagle flew a few hundred yards to a nearby pine tree, rested for a moment, then soared over the forest of pines and oaks. The hope is the bird will feed on fish from the bay, hone its hunting skills by learning from nearby eagles, and nest in or near the park.

Video via Hillsborough County

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