Plum City family rescues injured bald eagle

A Plum City family had the unexpected experience of helping to rescue an injured bald eagle on Wednesday, Jan. 19. After a territorial battle with another eagle, the bird went down in a field near the family’s home.

Justin Hewitt helped to rescue the bald eagle after the battle. His oldest son, Hudson Hewitt, discovered the bird first and ran immediately to get help from his father.

“My oldest son was outside and it was later in the afternoon,” Justin Hewitt said. “He came in a little frantic and hollering ‘Dad, there’s an injured eagle in the field,’ and my reaction was just ‘Are you serious?’” said Hewitt.

Hudson had seen another bald eagle fly away, but noticed there was still something laying in the field moving around.

“We went to check it out and I got within about 10 to 15 feet and I thought it was a turkey at first, but then it popped its head up and turned to look at me and I could see it was a bald eagle,” Hewitt said.

When he first approached the eagle, he was a bit nervous as bald eagles are known to be aggressive at times.

“We were cautious as we got closer to it and we kept our distance and we formed a triangle around it and saw that it was alive and alert,” Hewitt said.

Upon further examination, Hewitt realized the eagle had suffered multiple injuries. The bird had a gash on the back of its neck and was immobile.

“When we got close enough to see that it was alive I noticed a large gash on the back of its neck and it was bloody, it was right where the brown feathers meet the white feathers,” said Hewitt.

His two sons Hudson (13) and Kaison (11) were fascinated as they helped with the

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rescue process. It’s not every day that someone gets to be an eagle caretaker.

Although the eagle was eventually taken to the Twin Cities Raptor Center, during the night of the incident, Hewitt had to take care and tend to the eagle’s needs until morning. Hewitt shared that no one was able to come to his home in Plum City to help with the injuries at that time.

“I immediately called Pierce County game wardens and the sheriff’s department, and someone got back in touch with me and the warden was not able to come down because he was quarantined,” Hewitt said. “They let me know it was okay to go ahead and care for the eagle if I had felt comfortable and could do it safely.”

The Gabbert Raptor Center, in connection with the University of Minnesota, takes in injured birds and helps aid with rehabilitation. The day after the rescue, Hewitt met with someone from the raptor center and transferred the eagle over to their care.

Unfortunately, Hewitt learned over the weekend that the bald eagle he helped rescue was euthanized because of the seriousness of its injuries.

“We received some sad news regarding the eagle,” he said. “They unfortunately had to euthanize her. She had severe frostbite to her right foot. So, between that and the neck wound, it was a grave prognosis for recovery. We were very sad to hear, but did what we could.”

Although the bald eagle did not make it, it was a once in a lifetime experience for the Hewitts and they are honored to have helped in any way they could. It’s an experience they won’t soon forget.

According to the DNR’s 2019 survey, Pierce County had 21 occupied bald eagle nests, while St. Croix County had 10. Farther north, observers in Polk County reported 37 occupied nests. Burnett County had 67. Across Wisconsin, the survey found 1,684 bald eagle nests in 2019, compared to just 108 in 1973.

According to The Cornell Lab, the bald eagle has been the United States’ national emblem since 1782, but a spiritual symbol for Native American for far longer. Its population declined drastically in the 1950s due to use of the chemical DDT and hunting. However, after DDT was banned in 1972, the population has steadily climbed. On average, eagles have a seven-foot wingspan, weigh 7 to 15 pounds and are 28-38 inches tall. In the wild, they can live 20-30 years.

If you find an injured eagle, visit raptor.umn.edu to learn next steps on what to do.

Hudson and Kaison Hewitt with the bald eagle after bringing it into their home once rescued from injury. Photo courtesy of Justin Hewitt

Justin Hewitt and Hudson Hewitt with a bald eagle after rescuing and aiding the injured bird in a field near their home on Wednesday, Jan. 19. Photo courtesy of Justin Hewitt