Northard, who sits on the board of the Carpenter Nature Center, immediately called his contacts there – unsure if the eaglets had survived the fall.
A group mobilized quickly and began searching.
"We all went down to the area of the nest – which is very difficult to get to, because it's in a swampy area along the Mississippi River – between Lake Rebecca and the Mississippi River," Northard said.
Sadly, they found two baby eaglets already dead. Northard was unaware of a third baby until he heard chirping nearby.
"We got down on our knees and actually started looking around in all the debris. Buried underneath was one eaglet that survived and was cheeping," he said. "I had never seen all three heads sticking up in the nest before – I didn't realize there were three this year."
Northard and his group were able to get the eaglet to the University of Minnesota's Raptor Center – but the damage was just too much. The baby eagle had five broken bones, internal bleeding and trauma to its internal organs. It died shortly after.
Still, doctors there credit Northard and members of the Carpenter Center for their quick work.
"I think the biggest thing for this individual family of bald eagles is how many people cared," said Dr. Dana Franzen-Klein of the Raptor Center. "How many people put in their time, energy, they dropped what they were doing to help this animal because they cared."
"It was definitely an emotional moment for us – we'll remember it for a long time," Northard said. "When there's an animal in distress, especially an endangered species like eagles and others, there's a whole lot of committed and dedicated people that will come to their aid and do whatever we can."
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. We strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation. Join us in shaping the news narrative together.
Comments / 0