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September 10, 2014Grace Stays Put on James River 9/11/2014
September 12, 2014
Mackay Island National Wildlife Refuge May 1, 2006 – Photo by Reese F Lukei Jr
On May 1, 2006 the law enforcement officer at Mackay Island National Wildlife Refuge noticed that the bald eagle nest in the impound had fallen out of the nest tree following a storm. Tim Cooper, refuge manager, called me and he and I went into the impound in the refuge “mud cat” searching for the bald eagle nestling that had been in the nest. After sludging about in the watery impound for a few minutes we located the juvenile standing on a log (photo above).
I picked up the eagle (photo by Tim Cooper) and took her to Lisa Barlow, raptor rehabilitator. An examination disclosed no injuries from the fall of the nest. After two days of care by Lisa, the eaglet was returned to Mackay, measurements taken and banded with US Geological Survey band #0629-26058.
Photos by Melinda Lukei
A platform nest was constructed by Tim Williams of the refuge maintenance staff and erected on a pole on a dike road close to the original tree nest. With the assistance of Dominion Virginia Power and their lift truck, manager Tim Cooper placed the juvenile eagle in the platform nest.
Photos by Reese F Lukei Jr
On May 7, 2006 the juvenile bald eagle, now named STERLING by the school children at Knotts Island Elementery School, took her first flight.
Photo by Reese F Lukei Jr
On November 28, 2011 STERLING was photographed at Honey Bee Golf course by Pam Monahan with the male bald eagle banded HK from the Norfolk Botanical Garden.
For the past two breeding seasons, several photographers have been attempting to get a clear photo of the band on the right leg of the female seen frequently with HK. Many photos have been taken of the pair – mating by Pam Monahan on Feb 08, 2014, in flight by Duane Noblick on Feb 23, 2014, in the nest at Honey Bee by Reese F Lukei Jr Feb 17, 2014.
Duane Noblick
The first part of the band number on the female had been photographed by Jim Deal, Mike Inman, Duane Noblick, Beverly Nettleton and probably several other photographers. Finally after more than two years, Jim Yanello was able to capture a photo of the last three digits of the band number 0629-26058 on September 9, 2014, confirming that this is STERLING, the female rescued at Mackay Island National Wildlife Refuge on May 1, 2006.
Jim Yanello
17 Comments
Good work, Jim! Thanks for the update, Reese.
What a great ending (well, not really ending) to a shaky start for that young rescue Eagle. Grateful for the persistence of all those photographers so she can finally be identified and now observed for the rest of her story. 🙂
This is so AMAZING!!! Great job, all of y’all – it took a village to identify her! Love it!
YAY She has a name too. Thanks for relentlessly trying !!
Wow! What a great story, and a great love story to boot! You people who dedicate so much love & time to these wonderful eagles are amazing and I can’t tell you how you’re appreciated.
Wonderful news. Thanks everyone who’s been photographing this eagle and trying to get those final digits. So glad she’s a friend of Reese’s.
Finally!! Congrats, Reese! You did such nice work on this blog, too. I love all the shots of Sterling’s rescue and replacement.
So fun for everyone that has been trying to help get those 3 little numbers. Nice job, Jim!
What a wonderful story. And Reese, you did such a great job telling it and including the pictures from 2006 to present. I’m so happy that HK’s girlfriend is an eagle that you’ve helped in the past. Such a great community of caring people.
What a beautiful story, it seems to destined that these two eagles have found one another each one having touched the lives of others! Now all we need is a great nest of eaglets and it would be even better 🙂
To Reese and those other dedicated individuals assisting the bird when she needed help. All the patient, unstinting and determined photographers. Thank you, well done.
What a wonderful story and a great start to the day..Many thank’s to everyone for all your efforts and photo’s..now talon’s crossed for “babies this season” . Thanks Reese
I’m ecstatic that this long mystery is solved. And with a fairy tail ending at that! Looking ahead to a glittering tomorrow with Sterling and HK!
How wonderful that this beautiful female has taken up with our Handsome HK. It’s fantastic that we know the background of both. Let’s pray for a successful mating season <3
Congrats to Jim and to all the Eagle Paparazzi who have worked to identify HKs lady the past 2 years! Reese, it must be gratifying to see this eagle you helped 8 years ago has connected with an eagle you have watched over since he was an egg 5 years ago. Hopefully, at 6 and 9, HK and Sterling will both be mature and ready to raise their own babies in 2015.
Imagine all that had to happen to arrive at this eagle union! Fate I guess. Thank you Reese for starting the path to now. And thanks to the persistent photographers who didn’t give up until they had the answer. Congrats Jim for finally accomplishing that important photo.
Wow! Thanks for the wonderful backstory! Who’d have ever imagined you (Reese, Melinda and Lisa) being the human god-parents/stewart counterpart of what we hope will be a long fruitful union! We are all so pleased, proud and blessed to be part of this circle. Thanks to all of you!
What dedicated conservationists at Mackay to do all they did in 2006 for this young eagle.
Talk about full circle! I hope Sterling will be comfortable in the surrounds they seem to have chosen (and even allow us a 2nd generation to track)!
Wonderful! It is always winsome to find out the “after” stories of those we read about and got attached to…thanks for all your work and care with these magnificent birds.