Injured Sisters eagle heading south

The gunshot-wounded juvenile bald eagle found by Linda Cotter of Sisters on her birthday last February has recovered but because of its injuries can not be returned to the wild.

"All is not lost, however," said wildlife rehabilitation specialist Gary Landers, who cared for the bird in Sisters. "The eagle is going to a good life in California."

Tami Tate-Hall, USF&WL Permit Administrator located in Portland, has been working closely with Landers to find a good home for the eagle ever since he notified her that it was going to live but would never go back into the wild.

"Because of the severe gunshot wound and misshapen healing the eagle's right wing is permanently damaged and beyond repair," Landers said.

Landers noted that he could not have had the success he has enjoyed bringing the Sisters bald eagle back to health without the cooperation of people like Claudia and Steve Peden of Sisters.

Claudia drives the roads around Sisters every day delivering mail. She knows that Landers has many mouths to feed that enjoy rabbits. When she spots fresh road-killed jackrabbits, she scoops them up and places them in a plastic bag.

"Yeah, it's great when I go out in the morning for my mail and find a plastic bag with legs hanging out and blood dripping out the bottom hanging on my mail box; I know my birds will have fresh meat, thanks to Claudia. Otherwise it would cost me seven bucks a piece for rabbits to feed that eagle," Landers said.

Tami Tate-Hall helped find the right home for the Sisters eagle. She was able to search her database and come up with the perfect setting for the eagle: Fresno Wildlife Rehabilitation Service, operated by Cathy Garner in Clovis, CA.

Unlike the rehab facility that Gary and Kellie Landers operate near Sisters, the Fresno facility is a full-blown, educational facility, as well. There are more than 300 volunteers on Cathy Garner's mailing list of whom around 75 go out as teams to talk about raptors and owls to anyone who asks.

The Fresno facility has shown more than 12,000 young and old people native birds of prey, such as great horned, barred and barn owls, hawks and falcons, as well as the magnificent Eurasian eagle owl and exotic saker falcon. Garner says she hopes to top 14,000 this year.

In addition to becoming the center of attention at the Fresno educational center, the Sisters eagle is also going into service in honor of a very special volunteer, Diane Ganner who has been with Garner for over 20 years.

Diane was recently diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy. The injured eagle will be a very special attribute in helping others to know that serious injuries - or diseases - need not be the end of anyone's ability to be of benefit to society.