Once wounded, now free

Hungry Horse News

One, two flaps and she was free again.

A bald eagle was returned to the Flathead River Sunday in Columbia Falls after being nursed back to health by wildlife rehabilitator Lynn Vaught, of Whitefish.

The bird was caught in late July by Columbia Falls policeman Tristan Peterson after he responded to a call of an injured eagle on the Flathead River near Talbott Road. Peterson used a fish net to catch the bird. Along with Sgt. Rich Wicks they put it in the back of the patrol car and held it at the city's dog kennel until Vaught could pick it up.

Vaught nursed the bird back to health. She said it had a severe wing infection from a wound. The wound was so bad it had maggots in it, she noted. She said she couldn't say for sure the bird had been shot, but she wasn't ruling out the possibility, either, since it was an exterior puncture wound in the wing.

Whatever the case, the eagle recovered on a fish diet over the past three weeks and was a rather feisty bird by the time it was ready for release.

Vaught and her husband Rod and daughter Lainey released the bird back down to the river, where it took no time in taking off from its temporary dog kennel cage.

Vaught runs the non-profit wildlife rehabilitation facility Wildlife Returns. Her husband Rod is a emergency room doctor, which comes in handy when treating injured birds and other wildlife, she said.

This eagle, for example, was nursed back to health after the wound was cleaned and it was given antibiotics sprinkled on its fish. The bulk of a bald eagle's diet is fish, particularly in the summer.

The bird was not only suffering from the infection, it was also starving as well because it couldn't fly.

Vaught handles most her raptors in the winter. In the winter months, eagles and other raptors migrate south to the Flathead River, where the water stays open even in the coldest months.

Folks who find hurt raptors or other wildlife should call Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks or Vaught directly. Most raptor calls are routed to her anyway, she said.

Her number is 862-1248.