The story of Alita the bald eagle was documented by the EagleWatch Coordinator for Duval, Clay and Nassau Counties and the EagleWatch Coordinator for Hillsborough County.
The Beginning
Alita’s story began in a tall pine tree nest in the Arlington area of Jacksonville, Florida.
Due to a construction disturbance in the area, Audubon EagleWatch volunteers have a US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) permit to monitor this pair. The eagle nesting season begins October 1 and runs through May 15 each year. Each year, many eagles migrate further north for the summer, but this pair is typically seen all through the summer. They are gone mainly during the daytime but are frequently seen perching and roosting for the night.
The Hatch and Injury
At the beginning of this season, I monitored this nest with no other volunteer assigned. I first noticed the eagles incubating on December 10, 2021. We typically monitor a nest once a week or every two weeks. Eagles incubate their eggs for approximately 30 to 35 days. On January 14, I observed behavior that suggested this brood had hatched. Typically, we do not see the eaglets for the first time until they are around three or more weeks of age because the nest bowl is deep to help keep the young safe from falling out of the nest. Around the three-week timeframe, they can move around in the nest and get to the edge where we can finally see their fuzzy gray heads.
When the eaglets were about four to five weeks old, I asked another volunteer if he would like to take on this nest as well to photograph. It is a great nest to see and take photos of the eagles. On February 19, this volunteer noticed something wrong with one of the eaglets. He said the eaglet had blood dripping down its leg. Unfortunately, I was over an hour away. Since the volunteer did not have a birding scope that could really zoom in to see what was happening, I called up two other volunteers who had birding scopes and got to the nest tree immediately. Even with the scopes, they could not tell what had happened. I finally arrived back at the nest area, and we all struggled with what we saw.
Monitoring and Rescue Planning
I continued to go daily to the nest to check on Alita. As each day progressed, she moved around a little more and appeared to overcome what had happened. Many days after the injury's discovery, I could see with a birding scope that a part of her right wing was missing. We still had no idea what had happened. At that point, all we could do was observe. A rescue was out of the question until the sibling fledged, per USFWS. We had been warned that if bone was exposed, it usually meant immediate euthanasia.
I monitored this nest every day from February 19 until we finally rescued Alita on April 2. Sometimes I would go twice a day, and on the weekends, three times a day. The neighbors around this nest tree also watched over the eaglet. We all became very close. Alita grew stronger every day; she did all the normal eaglet things and met all the proper milestones for her age. She showed a strong will to live and survive.
When the sibling started to branch, I became a little more concerned. Alita also showed an interest in branching but did not have the balance needed for that, as most of one wing was missing. I think she knew that, and we never saw her try to branch, but she would watch her sibling move all over the top of the nest tree. A branch ran through part of one side of the nest; she would perch on that branch, and I could see both of her feet grasping it.
A few weeks after the sibling branched, he fledged. It was time to get serious about planning a rescue. I knew we would need a rescuer that could climb trees to get her out of the nest. I started reaching out to rehabbers, but no one in Jacksonville had the experience. I came across a story on a Facebook birding page of a tree rescuer that goes by Moto Mike. I contacted him, and we worked out the details. I had to get permission from two property owners since we would be on the property of one building a home, and the nest tree was on the vacant lot of the other property owner. I asked other volunteers and neighbors to participate on the ground with tarps in case Alita came out of the tree while we were trying to complete the rescue. There were approximately 40 people there to either help or watch, including a news station.
The Rescue
One of the challenges was that part of the area around the nest tree was not cleared, and we could not cover that area with tarps. Moto Mike and John Paul, another tree remover and climber, arrived and began to get their gear together. John Paul used spikes and Moto Mike used ropes to climb the tree. As John Paul was climbing, he came across a large slit opening at the back of the tree that we could never see from below. There was a raccoon in it. While we will never know for sure, the raccoon living in that open space was the best guess that raccoon(s) attacked Alita during the night. The neighbors told me many times about the loud vocalizations of the eagles and possibly raccoons during early morning hours.
John Paul reached the base of the nest before Moto Mike. He was asked to stay where he was until Moto Mike caught up. Alita had been at the edge of the nest, looking over at all of us on the ground. The parents nor the sibling were not in sight during the first part of the rescue.
Suddenly, the sibling flies in toward the nest but does not land. He circled above the nest tree and all around us. He then flew out towards the southwest after a few circles above. Mom, dad and the sibling returned to the nest area no more than two minutes later. It was as if the sibling ran to get the parents to come to see what was happening. Mom landed in the nest, and the dad and sibling landed in the perch tree. They were all extremely calm, with no vocalizations. Mom flew out towards the river and then back with a fish for Alita. Everyone below was extremely quiet watching what was happening. Taking it all in with awe. Mom eagle then flew out of the nest and was out of sight. Dad and sibling soon joined her.
Moto Mike was almost in place when John Paul peeked his head over the edge of the nest. Alita took one look and jumped from the nest. We heard a neighbor yelling, “she is coming down!” We responded immediately. With just one full wing, we had no idea what would happen if she came out of the nest on her own. Would she float out in a circle, as birds with their wings clipped sometimes do, or would she drop like a brick? Well, she dropped like a brick.
Her jump was unexpected. She came down through some of the smaller pine branches and then through some of the smaller trees in the underbrush, eventually landing in an area where fern was growing in big clumps, but not where we could get tarps to help break her fall.
She landed and took off running. What her missing wing did not allow her to do, her feet certainly did! As she got about 15 feet from where she landed, we cornered her. She did what most eagles and other birds do when they are being rescued -- she flipped on her back with talons up for protection. She was safely in my arms, extremely calm and never struggled. She did have a little blood at the area of the missing wing. It could have been caused by the fall, but the previous night I had observed that same area of the wing looking red again for the first time since she had healed. She may have bumped it on one of the branches or tree trunk while exercising her wings, as she did so many times.
I put Alita in a crate in my car. Many people came to see her to say goodbye and wished her luck. Remember, I was told that if any bone were exposed, it would mean euthanasia. I explained that to all that were there to say goodbye. We were all very emotional at the possibility of this being the last time anyone would see Alita alive. I told everyone involved I would do whatever I could to ensure she was given every chance to survive.
I arrived at Center for Birds of Prey (COBP) in Maitland. Beth Lott, the permitted rehabber on duty, performed the intake. Alita was no longer the quiet young eagle that I picked up. They retrieved her from the crate, and she became a defensive wild child. Once control was achieved, Beth did a thorough initial exam. The exam did not reveal any new injuries from the fall, but the wing did reveal a small, exposed bone.
It was a long and somber drive home for me. All I could do was think of Alita. I was fearful that she was no longer with us. The next day I wanted to call CBOP for an update, but I was not ready to hear the expected news. I waited until that afternoon when I finally got the courage to call. I spoke with Samantha Little, the rehabber for the day. She said the veterinarians discussed options with their team and decided to use a medicated cream and bandage the area. What she told me next was a miracle. One of the vets had been by that morning to check on Alita. When they removed the bandage, tissue had already begun to grow back over the exposed area! Due to her remarkable recovery rate, they decided to continue the treatment plan.
The Journey continues
She spent many months recovering and rehabilitating at COBP, where they worked on essential behaviors such as perching. I can not wait to visit Alita and Titus at Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens and watch this girl grow into a beautiful adult. It is not very often that humans have an opportunity to be able to watch an eaglet go through all the different phases until it reaches maturity. We are all thankful for all the caregivers in Alita’s journey. She is a survivor and just needed a little help.
Alita now resides at Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens with bald eagle Titus. We are touched by the many people whose passion and love for animals has no bounds. You can visit Alita in our Wild Florida exhibit.