We are so proud of our eagles and their nests here on Marco Island. With our Marco Island Nature Preserve eagles on hiatus the last two years, new parents in a tree behind the Publix under construction fledged an eaglet last year and now this year have one eaglet ready to fledge but it needs your help Marco Island!
Read about its story below and how to help!
This little guy is our problem child. It is safe and sound at the hospital, but needs our help!
Roman, so named because he/she was found roaming around the Dogwood Drive neighborhood on the ground behind the new Publix, is the progeny of the two parent eagles that have built their nest in the Australian pine next to the new Publix under construction on Marco Island. This is its adventure story and how it came to be on the ground, its rescue and the call for help to support our little eaglet buddy.
This year the eagles bore two eaglets at the beginning of January 2021. The younger eaglet was subsequently killed in a fall from the nest in early March. The remaining eaglet, now known as Roman, thrived on the loving care of its parents shown here guarding against the pesky crows that often mob the nest while Roman eats lunch.
Apparently our little eaglet had never gotten the lecture from Mom about doing jumpin' jacks on the bed.
Eventually he was located by our Audubon EagleWatch volunteer, Nancy Judd on a branch about twenty feet below the remains of the nest. Roman spent all day considering its' dilemma while the parents watched helplessly.
Somehow during the night on Wednesday, the eaglet managed to get to the ground hiding in the grasses. Later Rose Tolliver, another Audubon EagleWatch volunteer, found it hiding there and moving into the dense brush underneath the nest tree. After calls to FWC and the Conservancy, FWC checked on our little buddy and suggested leaving it to see if the parents would come feed it. Roman eventually spent the night on the ground under the tree.
Photo by Rose Tolliver
On the ground in the grasses but not yet ready to fly, Roman started exploring the neighborhood. With a limp and a hop Roman went roamin’!
Photo by Rose Tolliver
On Friday morning, Roman was out and about and by good fortune, was discovered again by Rose Tolliver wandering around the residential neighborhood behind the new Publix.
Since Roman had not learned to fly yet, the eaglet just gingerly hopped around unsure of its new environement and looking for food. Uber Eats or its parents never did delivery to the hungry little guy.
Perplexed by fences, we worked to keep an eye on it without stressing it anymore than it already was stressed. Rose Tolliver worked the phones and successfully engaged the Conservancy of SouthWest Florida to send a team to rescue our eaglet.
Sincere thanks to Tim Thompson and volunteer Victoria Hemingway for capturing the eaglet. Thanks also to the awesome veterinarians and caregivers at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida for all they do to help injured and distressed wildlife. Finally, thanks to our intrepid and devoted Audubon volunteers that keep watch over Marco Island's eagles, owls, sea turtles and tortoises.
Thanks for all you do!
HERE'S HOW YOU CAN HELP!
Our Marco Island eaglet is now safe at the von Arx Wildlife Hospital in Naples receiving treatment for its adventure, but it needs our help! Please consider at donation to the hospital to help feed Roman. The hospital already has two full-grown eagles in rehabilitation and now our eaglet. The Conservancy has a donation page on Facebook with a link to Feed the Eagles! It's an expensive proposition to keep them feed! They are well short of their $5000 goal. Read the sad stories about the other eagle rescues and let's all pitch in to help feed Roman and his new friends!
Photos by Jim Robellard except as noted by Rose Tolliver and Joe Parisi.
Credits:
Photos by Jim Robellard, Rose Tolliver and Joe Parisi