VA-birders....
Here is a special opportunity for you and your family... a Bald Eagle
release at Mason Neck State Park. And, you will have an opportunity to
meet and chat with Ed Clark. See the details that Ed has provided in his
note below. Don't be late!
Larry Lynch
Chesterfield Co., VA
birder6@xxxxxxxx
----- Original Message -----
From: "Edward E. Clark, Jr.
Sent: Tuesday, November 19, 2002 5:15 PM
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
I want to invite you to come out and join us on Saturday morning for a
really fun event. I will be releasing a bald eagle at the Mason Neck
State Park in Fairfax County. The bird has been treated here at the
Wildlife Center for the last ten months, but is finally ready to go back
to the wild. The event will be pretty short actually, with no speeches,
no pomp and even less circumstance. We will pretty much just gather our
friends around, get the eagle out of her crate, give her one last
examination, count to three and launch the bird into the air. With any
kind of luck at all, she'll fly away and resume her life in the wild.
Directions to the park can be found on the Mason Neck State Park home
page, <http://www.dcr.state.va.us/parks/masonnec.htm>.
We will gather at 11:00, and it should be all done by 11:30 or so. As I
said, it will all happen pretty fast, but it will be exhilarating just
the same. If you have never seen an eagle at close range, you won't want
to miss this. Bring your camera. I have been doing this kind of thing
for twenty years and I will never stopped feeling chills when one of
these incredible birds returns to the sky. It is a very moving
experience. Of course, if she happens to grab me with her massive talons
before I can turn her loose, as others have done, it can be pretty
animated as well!
Some interesting info on the eagle... the band on the bird's leg
revealed that this bird is nearly twenty years old, having been
banded as a nestling in 1983 in Maryland. She is a big bird (seven foot
wingspan) and a really nasty disposition. Several of
our staff will remember her for a very long time--or at least until the
scars fade.
Come and join us if you can. After the release, The park is a great
place to hike, bird watch, or simply sit by the banks of the river and do
nothing at all, just as fast as you can!
See you Saturday.
Ed Clark
PS: Because I don't have email addresses handy for all of the friends
and colleagues we have in common, feel free to mention this to anyone who
might be interested. Everyone is welcome to attend, but tell them not to
be late. We will gather at 11:00, get ready for the release, then launch
the bird into the sky at 11:30.
You are subscribed to VA-BIRD. To post to this mailing list, simply send email
to va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx. To unsubscribe, send email to
va-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field.
