Throwing money away - in a good cause!

Way back on May 17th, 2001, Mary and I attended the Raptorfest, a charity function to support the University of Minnesota Raptor Center. As we got into the live auction I threw myself with gusto into the bidding for an "Eagle Release" - it seemed like a fun thing to do and the bidding was poor on that item, which - it seemed to me - ought to have been very popular at such an event.

I won the item and then learned that I was on the end of a waiting list that could run for many months.To do a release means that a bird somewhere would unfortunately be injured; it would find its way to the Raptor Center, be rehabilitated and be a candidate for release. I suppose ideally I would never have been called, implying that no bird was harmed in the production of this page, but it was not to be. Still, it wasn't until half way through December that I got a phone call "out of the blue" from the Center.

A juvenile Bald Eagle, brought to the Center on September 9th with a broken wing after being shot, was finally ready to get back to the business of being free. We arranged to meet at the Carpenter Nature Center at 1:30 on Sunday, December 16th to do the release.

I was met there by Joanna and Roger Haugen, along with an externship student from Portugal whose name I don't recall. Roger had been part of the flight team that put the bird through his "bird physiotherapy", building up strength for the release and cradled the bird in his left with a firm grip on the legs with his right. Joanna gave me a pair of gauntlets and... well, I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story...

Roger Haugen explaining how to hold the bird in preparation for the release. The Eagle is blissfully unaware of the audience, wearing a leather hood that helps keep him docile for the drive...
With the hood removed, the bird is handed over. His head is somewhat hidden, merging into Rogers camoflage jacket - but he's looking directly at the camera.
The short photo op, where bird gets to begrudgingly pose with human.
Preparing to launch him into the grey - but, for Minnesota in December, very mild sky (about 45° F, just over 7° C). You launch the bird up at a 45° angle...
... and he thinks nothing of it. A flap of the wings and...
Good luck...

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