News : Injured Eagle found north of Vinton

Pat Jorgensen of the DNR holds a young injured Bald Eagle just north of Vinton

Just north of town on the Gary and Jill Marlow property, a young eagle was found unable to fly. The Marlows called Pat Jorgensen of the Department of Natural Resources to come to the property to rescue the bird. Jorgensen has been with the Iowa DNR for 32 years, and has been a State Conservation Officer with the DNR in the Benton/Linn County area since 2002.

Jorgensen said that when he arrived he saw the injured eagle in a field on the property. Because the bald eagle was just starting to get his white head, he could estimate the age of the bird to be around 3 years old.

Jorgensen said that the bird was attempting to fly away but only landed a few yards and then tried to run away from him. He was able to run the Eagle down and capture it. "I secured the Eagle in a pet carrier and transported it to a wildlife rehabilitation facility known as "The RARE Group" located just outside of Iowa City. They now have the Eagle and are assessing any injuries and will report back to me in a few days as to the condition," said Jorgensen. If the Eagle is able to make a full recovery the plan is to bring the eagle back to the Marlow property and release it. Jorgensen isn't sure if the bird is a male or female and hopes to have more information on its condition by early next week.