09/14/2026
From upside down to perching, this juvenile Bald Eagle from Eau Claire is making progress! She was found thrashing in the river, floating upside down, and rescued by a kind hearted individual who recognized that she needed help.
The average Bald Eagle can swim quite well. Their hollow bones and feathers are like a built-in life vest, and they paddle with wings to propel forward. However, this eaglet had suffered a spinal injury prior to ending up in the river, making it impossible to turn over from her back. She would likely have drowned in this position.
We dubbed her "KK", short for the names of two volunteer rescuers, and have been working with her for over a month to help her recover. Her injury caused weakness in her legs and she would often rest laying on her back with her legs in the air. Like a flipped turtle! She received physical therapy, medications, hand feedings and many baths to clean her tail feathers. And over these weeks she has become a volunteer favorite due to her relentless positive attitude and calm demeanor.
We cannot predict what the long term prognosis for this eaglet is. She is now perching on a low "mailbox" style astroturf covered half log. She is taking steps without assistance to reach food. She feeds herself and has a great attitude. Our hope is that she continues to improve and work toward that ultimate goal of release back to her wild life.
If you would like to support our work with KK and hundreds of other wild raptors, you can do so via our website Wingedfreedomrh.com. And if you haven't recently visited our website it is brand new and amazing!
