Eagle Returning to Brookwood

For several years now, visitors to the Brookwood Point Conservation Area have enjoyed watching the nesting pair of bald eagles that have settled in the area. Many people have admired the protected birds as they soar over Otsego Lake or watch for prey from a nearby tree.

Early one morning in August, Otsego Land Trust staff discovered the female bald eagle splayed on the ground, but with no visible injuries. Sergeant Mike Stalter of the Otsego County Sheriff’s Office, who is also a general falconer, helped to gently secure the eagle.

Otsego County Environmental Conservation Officer Mark Vencak transferred the eagle to wildlife rehabilitator Suzanne Johnson, working as an assistant under Kelly Bolton Martin, a federally licensed rehabilitator and president of the New York State Wildlife Rehabilitation Council. The eagle was then transferred to Charley Koop, a rehabilitator also working under Kelly’s license and a master falconer. Charley immediately transferred the eagle to the Janet L. Swanson Wildlife Hospital at Cornell University for evaluation, surgery and recovery for the next two months.

The veterinary team operated on the eagle’s broken femur and monitored her recovery. The eagle was then transferred to Jean Soprano, who is licensed specifically for eagles for evaluation of the ability to release.

Throughout the summer, the male eagle and the juvenile could be heard calling out for the female eagle’s return. We are pleased to report that she has regained her health and will be transported back to the nesting range by Chenango County Environmental Compliance Officer Brett Armstrong. The eagle is scheduled to be re-released at Brookwood Point this weekend.

Brookwood Point is owned and managed by Otsego Land Trust, a private nonprofit organization.