This is Lady Baltimore. While on a cruise to Alaska we went to the Juneau Raptor Center after lunch while in port. Here is her story.
Lady Baltimore (adult bald eagle)(Haliaeetus leucocephalus)In May of 2006 Lady Baltimore was found injured on Juneau's Douglas Island. She had been shot in her beak and the wrist of her right wing. Also, her left eye is completely blind from a detached retina . The impact of the bullet through her beak may have been the cause of the detached retina. With only one working eye, she doesn't have depth perception. Because of this, she has a tendency to run into things and wouldn't be able to hunt for her own food in the wild. The injury to her wing prevents her from achieving lift above six feet into the air. She is not releasable to the wild because these injuries are permanent and she would not survive on her own. The poacher was never caught.
It is estimated that
Lady Baltimore was on her own for about two weeks with these injuries until someone found her. The reason for this estimation is due to her weight. She was about six pounds
Lady Baltimorewhen she was found, where she is now about eleven pounds. She was originally thought to be a male because she was so light. Therefore, her name originally was
Lord Baltimore.
- Her age is unknown because she was already a full adult when found. We haven't bothered to ask her what her age is because it's not polite to ask a lady her age.
- Her wingspan is 6 1/2 feet wide.
- - Her favorite part of a salmon is the head.
- She is very talkative. If Chan or I (2009 tram naturalists) move from one side of the deck to the other or just stand after sitting for awhile she calls to us. She does this even if she already has food.
- She is very calm around large groups of people as long as they aren't too loud or using their camera flashes. When she gets annoyed with people using flashes or making noises at her to get her to look, she will turn her back to them. If it persists, she hides in a corner where people can't see her.
I've been told she is quite feisty toward the other eagles.
I was kind of saddened by her enclosure that she now calls home. I have contacted the Raptor Center and asked if I could help upgrade her living conditions through sales of this image. I am still in the beginning stages of that project.
