It may be America’s national bird and the “symbol of supreme power and authority,” but the day-to-day life of a bald eagle can be somewhat less than majestic. Gunshots, vehicles, pesticides, wind turbines, drought, and wildfire are just some of the threats putting eagles at risk for injury or death.
As director of the Manton-based Defiance Canyon Raptor Rescue, Marily Woodhouse sees firsthand the travails and trauma eagles and other raptors experience in the north state. Too often, the rescue cases have a sad ending as the big birds have to be euthanized.
A great horned owl rehabilitates at Defiance Canyon Raptor Rescue. Photo by Jon Lewis.
So, when a plucky raptor like Marian shows up, Woodhouse thought it was worth a mention. The female bald eagle was discovered in mid-May by crew members doing some salvage logging on a Dixie Fire site north of Highway 36, about five miles west of Chester.
Marian was severely starved when she arrived at the raptor rescue. Photo by Jon Lewis.
Injured and unable to hunt, the eagle had lost between 35 percent and 40 percent of its body weight. Woodhouse said the standard assumption in rehab circles is that a bird can’t survive if it loses more than 30 percent of its body weight. Typically, organs shrink and the gut shuts down, preventing the bird from processing food.
X-rays were inconclusive but it appears the eagle had a shoulder injury, most likely a fractured coracoid bone. Woodhouse speculated the eagle had been struck by a vehicle and then walked to the area where she was found.
“Amazingly, this eagle has turned around,” Woodhouse said. “She’s only the second raptor I’ve ever had who has come back from this kind of weight loss.
“Her name is Marian because she was found near Marian Creek,” Woodhouse said. “Interestingly, when I looked up ‘Marian,’ this came up: As a variation of the Latin Maria or Marius, Marian has myriad meanings, including ‘rebellious,’ ‘beloved,’ ‘bitter’ or warlike.’ Bitter doesn’t fit her but she has rebelled against what is common behavior in rehab and survival, and she is beloved.”
Woodhouse described Marian as an “enthusiastic” eater and doesn’t appear to be overly stressed at being in captivity. Both traits lend themselves to favorable rescue outcomes. Marian has been dining on fish provided by the nearby Darrah Springs Hatchery, bits of roadkill deer provided by the California Department of Fish & Wildlife and previously frozen rats.
On June 8, Marian had started to fly and Woodhouse said her wings looked even, “but she’s breathing pretty hard, so there probably needs to be more healing.”
Marian stands out as one of the latest successful rescues, but there have been others of late. An eagle aptly named Titanium crashed into a minivan with such force that the impact sent it through the windshield, between the couple in the front seat, and clear to the back row where the couple’s three children were seated.
The aptly named Titanium survived a crash with this minivan. Photo courtesy of Defiance Canyon Raptor Rescue
Despite the violent impact, Titanium recovered and was released after a five-month rehabilitation. The eagle hopped out of its crate and calmly flew away. “She never looked back and I never got a postcard,” Woodhouse said with a laugh.
Loch was discovered at Ross Pond, north of Shasta College. The juvenile eagle had left his nest before he could fly. Once he had matured enough to acquire the gift of flight, he was released. Bald eagles do not acquire their familiar white heads and tails until they’re 5 years old. First-year eagles are mostly brown with random white splotches and as they age, they become mottled brown and white.
Loch was discovered at Ross Pond near Shasta College. Photo by Maureen Bonessa.
Even at 10-12 weeks old, an eagle’s wingspan is impressive. Photo by Maureen Bonessa.
Arroyo was the name given to another eaglet that had escaped his nest before he was old enough to fly. He was away from the nest when CalFire conducted a control burn near it (near Dales Station, just off Highway 36). His sister, however, was in the nest during the fire and succumbed to a lung infection a few months later.
Arroyo, who left his nest before fledging, is released. Photo by Maureen Bonessa.
Keeping an eye on forestry practices and protecting the Battle Creek watershed—and seeking to reduce the amount of clear-cutting in particular on Sierra Pacific Industries lands in the Manton area—has been a passion of Woodhouse’s for years. She founded the Battle Creek Alliance in 2008.
Woodhouse started Defiance Canyon Raptor Rescue in 2016, in part, she said, to provide some positive outcomes that can help offset the long and often dispiriting battles with SPI. Prior to starting her own rescue organization, Woodhouse volunteered with Shasta Wildlife Rescue in Anderson.
In order to work with eagles and other raptors, Woodhouse had to secure permits from both the state Department of Fish & Wildlife and the federal Fish and Wildlife Service. As the only permitted raptor rescue service in the north state, she gets calls from six counties.
To learn more, visit www.thebattlecreekalliance.org
