By Jon King / jking@whmi.com


The Howell Nature Center’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic is hosting a very special visitor this Thanksgiving.

On Saturday, November 21st a man named Vince found a juvenile bald eagle on the ground, not moving, while walking his dog on his property in Montrose, near the Flint River in Genesee County. He ran home to put his dog away and returned to rescue the bird, but was unable to find it. Vince then contacted the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to report the injured bald eagle. Conservation Officer Robar successfully located the eagle and, using a dog crate borrowed from Vince, transported the animal to the Howell Nature Center, one of the few facilities in Michigan able to rehabilitate bald eagles. Robar is a DNR Conservation Officer from Detroit, and this was his very first eagle rescue.

During the nature center’s examination of the young bald eagle, they found that she was dehydrated, thin, and had injuries to both wings. Officials say if not for the efforts of Vince and DNR Officer Robar, she would not have survived. Thanks to everyone involved, nature center officials say the, "amazing creature will have a warm and safe holiday." However, there is a long road to recovery ahead for the eagle before she can be released back into the wild. Nature center officials say that will require a lot of physical therapy, medical care, and proper nutrition. Bald eagles require a highly specialized diet made of primarily fish, which is very expensive.

They anticipate that it will cost over $2,500 to rehabilitate her over the next three to four months and remind the public that they are a nonprofit facility, with the wildlife clinic funded through program fees, donations, and grants. Anyone willing to help provide support can do so online at howellnaturecenter.org/donate to make a donation.

Nature Center staff identified the bird as female due to her large size, as the females in bird of prey species are larger than the males. They also have determined her age to be 1 to 1.5 years old based on the coloring of her feathers and eyes.

Anyone with questions can call (517) 546-0249 or e-mail Na href="mailto:info@howellnaturecenter.org">info@howellnaturecenter.org.