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The bald eagle that was rescued from a center median in Medford and later released in January has just been spotted soaring along Sunken Meadow State Parkway, which stretches from Commack to Kings Park. And, he has found a friend.
This is all according to the Strong Island Animal Rescue League. The group provided an update Sunday on the bald eagle, whom they affectionally named Liberty after he was rescued.
“He is doing amazing!” the group wrote on Facebook. “He was seen by the Sunken Meadow Parkway with another eagle! He has been identified by his band [number]. We are honored to have been able to be a part of this rescue and see him thrive in the wild. Teamwork saves them.”
Liberty is easily recognized through his tracking band which was affixed by the state Department of Conservation before he was released Jan. 24 after treatment at the Sweetbriar Nature Center in Smithtown.
The majestic, nine-pound bird was in trouble, lying in a median along busy Route 112 after apparently being clipped by a truck’s sideview mirror. First responders and the animal rescue group Strong Island Animal Rescue League successfully scooped up the eagle and brought it to safety at Sweetbriar.
Named Liberty by rescuers, it was discovered that the eagle has no fractured bones but did have damage in the right eye, causing vision loss.
Vision is crucial for the survival of bald eagles, according to Sweetbriar experts.
“This tells us that Liberty has been hunting on his own with this eye impairment for some time now and was able to successfully catch food,” wrote Sweetbriar Nature Center representatives in January.
Liberty was freed in a park close to where he was originally flying in Medford, eventually ending up around the Sunken Meadow State Parkway.
Watch the release below.
Photo: Liberty soaring along Sunken Meadow State Parkway. (Credit: Strong Island Animal Rescue League on Facebook)
