BRUSSELS - The eagle released on Saturday at the Two Rivers Wildlife Refuge in Brussels was nicknamed “Big Momma” and her departure that day left quite an impression on those attending.
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Big Momma was first brought to the Treehouse Wildlife Center the week before Christmas on Dec. 16 and the people there have had to nurse her back to health, discovering lead poisoning within her and also a big tear on the back side of a wing.
“The wound to the wing itself didn’t take that long to fix, it was the flight conditioning that took the time,” Pam Lippert, a senior wildlife technician at Treehouse Wildlife Center, said.
Lippert said someone gave “Big Momma” her nickname, although it wasn’t officially her name. Big Momma was paired with another eagle during her recovery, which helped, she said.
“One of the people that take pictures started calling her ‘Big Momma’ and that stuck,” Lippert said.
Lippert speculated that “Big Momma” was likely at least 5 years old because it had a white-headed tail, which signifies and eagle as of breeding age.
The senior wildlife technician said one of the joys of her work is seeing birds like this one be able to return to their natural habitat after their help.
“We just work to get them better,” she said. “It is definitely a good feeling when we release them.”
“Big Momma” drew quite an audience on Saturday during the release and immediately flew to a few hundred yards to a tree, then eventually left that area. Lippert said several apparently spotted “Big Momma” circling around the area, so she did do multiple “fly-bys.”
