Lucky, the Bald Eaglet
Wolf Lake, Yukon Territory, Canada,



From my dairy: Wednesday (10-07-2002).
At about 8 PM we started a pleasant walk, following the shoreline of the Lake. Our intention was to walk to the spot where we had seen an eagle's nest earlier that day, to try to take some high quality photographs. The nest was located at the end of small tongue of land, about a half hour's walk. As we approached, the eagles made a few diving attacks just above our heads, showing their disapproval with our close proximity to the nest. They stopped and moved away as we reached the nest.

A group of about 12 seagulls also caught our attention. A few of them were swimming on the lake, and others were teasing the eagles, who didn't pay any attention at all. On down the shoreline, we saw how a smaller group of about four were making quite a racket. Yhey definitely were hunting for something, but their would-be prey eluded us. We were quite familiar with the seagulls because they nest on a small island in the middle of the lake, and were always around the lodge looking for a handout. When we reached the eagle's nest, we didn't see anything unusual, but the eagles acted rather strangely. Their beaks were wide open, and they were producing sounds that we never had heard before. They didn't attack us again, in spite of our standing directly under the nest.

During the day, we had seen them fighting with the seagulls for quite some time. When we walked closer, we suddenly saw what the seagulls were after. At first we thought it was dead animal or fish, but it was actually a small eaglet. It didn't move at all, and we were sure the eaglet was dead. It was lying on the beach surrounded by seagull tracks. The nest was located about 15 meters above the ground, and I was sure that it had been killed and pushed out the nest by another eaglet. It was impossible to put it back in the nest because the tree was old and dead, and surely would have broken under my weight. I also never would have been able to get the eaglet back into the nest because it had simply grown too large!

We carefully walked closer, but the eaglet made no reaction until I touched it. He moved his wings into an awkward position, and it looked as if they might have been broken, but after a closer look, he seemed okay. We didn't know what to do. I know that birds of prey are easy to keep alive, but I also know that their parents will take care of them if left alone. I checked it's crop, but it was totally empty, and the bird also seemed to have signs of dehydration. I was not sure if the eagles were able to feed it with all those raucous seagulls around. I believed that leaving the eaglet at this location would surely lead to its certain death. The seagulls were simply too numerous and too aggressive. (I know how they attack by picking out the eyes and the brains of their prey.) They also needed food to feed their chicks. I made a decision and took the eaglet with me, knowing that I at least saved it for the night. Many things were going through my mind that night, that maybe my decision was wrong. Indians have told me to leave nature as it goes. The rules of nature can be cruel, but I am too close to nature to have let this eaglet die.


I fed the eaglet and gave it some water. The next day he really looked much better. I called him Lucky. I put him in a little tub with some wood and towels, and he seemed to like it. He never bit any of us, and after a few days I even taught him to eat all by himself. His feathers grew quickly and he seemed very happy. Experts told me later that birds of prey that are fed by humans never could go back to the wild again. I didn't realize that my action would have so much of an impact on that little eaglet. Maybe I compared it too much with a young wild owl I had kept in the past. It was able to return in the wild again and survived.

After 7 days we moved out to another lodge, and we arranged with the lodge owners to fly the eaglet back with them to Whitehorse, where Gerd Mannsperger from Alpine Aviation brought him to Brian Lacy, the conservation officer. We missed him very much, and were worried about him as well. When we returned to Whitehorse and had just checked in to the High Country Inn, we couldn't believe our eyes! In the newspaper, we immediately recognized a young bald eaglet on the front page! This could only be our Lucky! The message in the article was clear: young bald eaglets should always be left by the nest because the parents will look after them. I wasn't so sure about this eaglet, however. I still believed that I saved its life from the attacking seagulls that day by the lake shore.

 Before we returned Holland, we saw another newspaper story and this time it made us much more happy. It seems Air North was willing to fly to eaglet to Vancouver, where two foster parents were waiting at a wildlife preserve in Delta, BC. He is still there today!

The sad news is that he can never return to the wild again. My meddling with Mother Nature had introduced him to people. He became so friendly in fact, that even the surrogate parents weren't able to raise him. I made a mistake, and as a result, he lost touch with the wild forever.