By Erik Tetens
The Leaf – Northwest Cook County Group of the Sierra Club
Volume 1 – No. 5, Spring 2003

The gust of air gathered beneath the brown feathers and gently lifted the bird higher into the air. From its vantage point it could see for miles, scanning the treetops of the dark green pines and the yellow-green floor of the prairie. It had recently fed on a carcass of a brown squirrel not far away at a nearby farmhouse. There were trees that acted as a windbreak to the left of the farmhouse, halting the strong winds that came in on the Alberta Clipper.

As the bird drifted peacefully among the currents, a loud crack ripped through the silence…and also through the bird’s wing. Struggling to regain mobility, it hit the ground with a fractured wing and little hope. This was likely the scene after someone had shot an eight-month-old Bald Eagle.

At this age, a bald eagle should normally weight 11 to 12 pounds. But when this eagle was found, it weighed only 5 pounds and was starving to death. In most areas, little could be done to save this creature. Fortunately for our region, you can contact Marge Gibson at the Raptor Education Group, Inc. of Antigo, Wisconsin. The Raptor Education Group is a non-profit organization that rehabilitates injured birds of prey.

I had a chance to meet up with Marge and her special birds at the Bald Eagle Watching Days in Prairie du Sac Wisconsin (January 18th & 19th). She was on hand to give her first person accounts of eagle rehabilitation and release two injured eagles back into the wild.

Gibson is a pioneer in the field of raptor rescue. For over 40 years she has devoted herself to be an advocate for birds of prey. She started off in Orange County, California at the Bird of Prey Center at Camp Pendleton before moving on to her position as President of International Wildlife Rehab Council. Her work, for the preservation of the raptor species, has taken her to the shores of the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster and beyond. Now, having settled in Antigo, she has opened the Raptor Education Group.

The Raptor Education Group receives no money from the government and totally survives upon the generous donations of the public. The birds come in at a constant rate with 90-95% of all birds injured by humans. Since 1990, there has also been an increase in lead poisoning among eagles in Wisconsin. It takes $1,000 in medical expenses to rehabilitate each eagle that suffers from lead poisoning.

“I think one thing that the public does not understand is that Bald Eagles are tremendous parents,” Gibson said.

Miriam, a 16-year-old female Bald Eagle, has been at the Raptor Education Group for quite some time. She had her wing shot off and can never be released into the wild. Although she cannot return to the air, she has acted as a surrogate mother, raising nine orphans last year alone.

“I put a young chick in with her last year. The chick was crying and screaming, confused at her new surroundings,” Gibson remarked. “Miriam came up, held her wings out and used her beak to start caressing the chick. It fell over backwards and Miriam held him for the whole night in her wings.”

One of the many highlights of Bald Eagle Watching Days was the birds of prey demonstration at the River Arts Center. Gibson brought a large number of her raptors including vultures, hawks, falcons, owls, and eagles.

“People learn in different ways,” Gibson said, adjusting one of her earrings. “The see something, and that makes it personal. Respect is the key word.” Gibson gave everyone a personal encounter as her interns carried each of the birds throughout the audience.

The crowning moment of the day came early afternoon at the VFW Park in Prairie du Sac, where Gibson prepared to release a rehabilitated eagle. The park is located a half mile from the nearby hydroelectric dam, which acts as a continual source of open water during the winter season and makes a great habitat for the eagles.

Gibson made her way into the roped off area at the boat ramps as about 1,000 people looked on under an overcast day. She took time to pass the eagle around the audience, showing them where the bullet had ripped into the wing.

Off on the distant shore of the Wisconsin River, a group of eagles played in the thermals. As Gibson held the eagle, you could tell it was ready for its flight to freedom, shifting and squirming in her arms.

A tribal elder from the Ho-Chunk Nation said a blessing over the eagle, asking the creator to bless the young bird and keep it safe. Gibson walked up onto a platform of picnic tables and stood there motionless, the eagle facing the river and distant shore, as the crowd grew silent. There was a pause to let the eagle get its bearings, and possibly for Gibson to say goodbye. As sunbeams slipped between two clouds and brightened the park, the eagle was released and became a shadow against the clouds.