Bald eagle injured near state line

by Jazz Clark
John Hobday, Tatianna Hobday and Dana Burke found a bald eagle with a broken wing at a farm along U.S. 522 near the Virginia line on Saturday, September 22.

The injured bird faced imminent danger from nearby horses, so John Hobday chased the eagle into the woods across the road and, after catching it, wrapped it in a blanket.

He was trying to keep the eagle from being run over on the highway or trampled by the horses.

The eagle had a broken wing and it appeared that it may have been struck by a vehicle before fleeing into the field. The wounds to its wing and beak were fairly recent.

After finding no one at a nearby house and unsuccessful in seeking help from DNR and 911 in Morgan County, they called Blue Ridge Wildlife Center in Boyce, Virginia. They delivered the protected creature to a federal facility there.

The bird was calm on the ride, but began getting flustered near the facility, Hobday said.

“It was a beautiful bird, but very strong. It took three of us to keep it restrained,” he said.

The Wildlife Center reported surgery was successful and that pins were put in the wing. There’s a gap in the bone of one wing, but they hope there is no need for amputation.