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Free as an eagle As volunteers and staff members looked on Friday, Dave Siddon of Wildlife images released a bald eagle named Glory into the wild outside Cave Junction. Timothy Bullard / Daily Courier Monday Jan 30, 2017 at 4:07 PM Jan 30, 2017 at 4:07 PM By Jeff Duewel Grants Pass Daily Courier The bald eagle named Glory flapped away Friday from the arms of Dave Siddon, executive director of Wildlife Images Rehabilitation & Education Center, as a group of spectators cheered behind him. "I've never seen something that majestic and incredible," remarked Allisa Bobier, one of the happy throng. "I'm so glad to be here and doing work with Wildlife Images. What they do is so important." Bobier and about 10 others, ranging in age from 18 to 24, are working through the AmeriCorps program with the renowned rehabilitation facility 13 miles west of Grants Pass. They're repairing structures damaged during a recent snowstorm, and learning about wildlife rehabilitation. Friday's release took place at Vertical Horizons Tree House Paradise, six miles southeast of Cave Junction off of Dick George Road. That's where Glory got hurt a couple of weeks ago, and proprietors of the 13-year-old bed and breakfast, Phil and Jodie Moskios, saw the aftermath outside their window. The big raptor, estimated to be 3 or 4 years old, had a serious laceration on its throat and a chipped beak. Siddon thinks it probably hit a fence or tree during bad weather. The Moskioses saw the eagle "crash land" with a flock of ravens attacking it. "The ravens were trying to kill it; it was close to dead," said Phil Moskios, who contacted Wildlife Images. "I chased about 10 of them away, but every time I'd leave, they'd start diving on it again. They wanted to get rid of it. I kept him safe for a couple of hours." When a propane delivery arrived, the scared bird flew to the edge of the woods and crawled under some brush. "He was going to die there," Moskios said. "He turned his back to us," Jodie Moskios said. "It was so sad. He was giving up." But in the nick of time, Wildlife Images rescuers arrived. It took about 10 days for Glory to get her full energy back. Jen Osburn, animal care technician, said the bird's digestive system was shutting down. It was fed fluids initially, then a special formula, then meat. Siddon said the beak had to be put back together with glue. He said he's helped release at least 60 eagles in the 20 years since he took over for his late father, J. David Siddon, at the facility. Glory flapped away with plenty of strength and about five minutes later flew back over thrilled spectators, toward the East Fork Illinois River. "She's familiar with the habitat, has an established territory, and the prognosis is very good," Siddon said. "There's a really good chance this bird is going to make it just fine." — Reach reporter Jeff Duewel at 541-474-3720 or [email protected]