Bald Eagle Release @ Smith Mountain Lake Community Park
This majestic eagle came to us on September 5, 2025, from Rocky Mount, VA, after a fierce territorial fight with two younger eagles. When it arrived, it was utterly exhausted, battered, and so weak it could barely lift its head inside the cardboard box it was transported in.
Our team immediately went to work, and after a few days of much-needed rest and recovery, slowly but surely, this eagle began to regain its strength. After several days of intensive care, it stood tall once again, alert and powerful, ready to stretch its wings. It did present with subclinical levels of lead poisoning, something that is quite serious and all too common for Bald Eagles and other raptors.
When the time came for a test flight in our 50-foot flight pen, it soared beautifully — a clear sign that its recovery was well underway. However, eagles require a minimum 100-foot-long flight enclosure to rebuild the endurance and power they need for life back in the wild.
Due to the ongoing lawsuits from 2 of our neighbors since 2018, we have not been able to build our own large aviary to rehab these larger birds of prey at our facility. So, our good friends at the Wildlife Center of Virginia stepped in to provide those final stages of rehabilitation. After several weeks of flight conditioning and chelation to remove lead from its blood, the eagle was ready to return home!
Now, after a long and incredible journey of healing — two rescues, two hospitals, and hundreds of miles later — this magnificent bird is finally ready to reclaim the skies over Smith Mountain Lake where it belongs.
Please join us and our colleagues at the Wildlife Center of Virginia for this collaborative effort in conservation, and an unforgettable moment as we watch this once-weak eagle soar strong and free again!
October 14, 2025 @ 1 p.m.
