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Bald eagles “Ron” and “Rita,” have become internet stars as their lives during the last several months have been livestreamed around the world.
From when they first started building their nest last October to laying their first egg just before Thanksgiving, to the first hatching on New Year’s Day, millions have come to love this amazing eagle family as they raised their two chicks (R1 and R2) to the point where R1 successfully flew from the nest several days ago and R2 was ready to follow at any moment.
Then, on Mar. 25, while looking closely at the livestream, it was noted that there was a large quantity of monofilament line in the nest, probably attached to a fish that the parents had brought in for food. Some of the line had wrapped around one of the feet of R2 preventing it from leaving the nest and potentially causing serious injury or death.
It was decided that emergency action was warranted and Lloyd Brown, founder and director of Wildlife Rescue of Dade County, who also happens to be a firefighter/paramedic, contacted Miami-Dade Fire Rescue (MDFR) officials to inquire if a special platform truck could be utilized to get up to the nest to free the eaglet and remove the potentially deadly monofilament line.
Thanks to the incredible cooperation and efforts of the team from MDFR Platform 34, a special platform truck was brought to the site the following morning. The MDFR team was able to get rescuers up 85 feet to the nest where they were able to have the eaglet break the line by flying strongly away and then take its first solo flight towards independence.
Brown was then able to remove all of the excess monofilament line to prevent any other entanglements should the eaglets or adults return.
This was an amazing effort and collaboration between Wildlife Rescue of Dade County and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue that resulted in the prevention of a potential tragedy.
Monofilament line presents many dangers to native wildlife and this is just one example. It cannot be overemphasized how important it is that it is properly disposed of and contained when not in use.
After many trials and tribulations, Ron and Rita have successfully raised two chicks to fledge from the nest. It is believed that this is the first time that this pair has been able to do this. In doing so, they have inspired countless people from around the world to better understand these magnificent raptors and in turn, have a better appreciation for them.
It is likely that this amazing story would not have come to fruition had it not been for the collaboration of Lloyd Brown and Wildlife Rescue of Dade County, along with Ron Magill and the funding from the Ron Magill Conservation Endowment at the Zoo Miami Foundation, which together constructed a special platform for Ron and Rita to build their nest on, as well as installing the high resolution cameras that have been able to provide this very intimate window into the world of these majestic birds.
Whereas in the past, previous nests built by Ron and Rita have failed and they have not been as successful raising offspring, the stability of the man-made platform and the ability to see potential problems before they become tragic has enabled the story Ron and Rita to be a wonderful and inspiring one.
Bald eagles mate for life and they will normally return to the same nest site year after year, constantly adding to it. It is believed that both Ron and Rita are relatively young so they have a potentially long life ahead of them and should be returning to this nest again in the fall of 2023. When we know that they have left for the season, the Ron Magill Conservation Endowment will be again working closely with Wildlife Rescue of Dade County to not only reinforce the nest platform for next year, but also add microphones so that in addition to being able to view the behaviors, anyone with internet service will also be able to hear the many wonderful sounds created by a bald eagle family as they grow and develop.
A beautiful, inspiring, heroic story. Thank you for sharing it with us. Just one note — please do not refer to nonhumans as “it.” The concept of animals as “things” is at the root of most, if not all, of their suffering at human hands. Please say he or her, him or she. If you don’t know the gender, just pick one. Who will know or care if it’s wrong? Anything is better than “it.”