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WILDLIFE Sick eagle found outside Ashland recovering at Wildlife Images Comment By John Darling for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By John Darling for the Mail Tribune Posted Dec. 16, 2014 at 5:42 PM Updated Dec 17, 2014 at 11:18 AM By John Darling for the Mail Tribune Posted Dec. 16, 2014 at 5:42 PM Updated Dec 17, 2014 at 11:18 AM » RELATED CONTENT • Tests confirm lead poisoning killed eagle » Social News A full-grown bald eagle, found sick and near death from suspected lead poisoning a week ago on the shore of Ashland's Reeder Reservoir, appears to be stabilized now and is taking nourishment at Wildlife Images Rehabilitation and Education Center in Merlin. The bird was found Dec. 9 hunkered over on a sand bar by Greg Hunter, Ashland Water Treatment Plant supervisor. He consulted the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and was told to take it to Wildlife Images, which heals and houses a range of hurt wild creatures. “He was active and mobile but his head was down and he couldn’t fly,” said Hunter. “I threw a beach towel over his wings and another one over his head and tucked him in like a football and put him in a large box.” The eagle, whom Wildlife Images staff named Kringle in honor of the season, possibly received blunt-force head trauma, as he had swollen eyes and tongue, said Alison Taplin, marketing coordinator of Wildlife Images. “His head is still drooping but he is aggressive. There’s no spinal damage,” she said. “Day by day he’s improving. He couldn’t swallow on his own. We had to force-feed him.” Kringle was taken to a local veterinarian and put on steroids, antibiotics and eye drops. A test was sent off to determine whether he had lead poisoning from buckshot or fishing tackle. “This could be a good example of why it’s such a huge deal to get rid of lead in the environment,” Taplin said. Raptors will feed on small mammals that have been shot or fish that have been caught but got away. The eagle has a signature white head, meaning it’s more than 4 years old, she said.  “It will be a slow road to recovery,” said Dave Siddon, Wildlife Images executive director. “He’s in pretty bad shape. His symptoms are consistent with lead poisoning but we don’t know yet.” The bald eagle, the United States' national bird, nearly became extinct 50 years ago because of hunting and the widespread use of the pesticide DDT, which collected in the birds' food, softened their eggshells and severely limited their ability to reproduce. By 1963, only 417 nesting pairs of bald eagles survived in the lower 48 states, according to the National Wildlife Federation. But a ban on the use of DDT in 1972 and including the bald eagle on the Endangered Species List rejuvenated its population, and the bird was upgraded to “threatened” in 1995 and removed from the Endangered Species List in 2007.  When Kringle was found, he couldn’t lift his head, only turn it sideways to see handlers, said Hunter. In Hunter's 24 years at the water plant, he has seen only one other eagle. If Kringle becomes healthy enough, he will be released back into the Ashland watershed, Hunter said. Reach Ashland freelance writer John Darling by email at [email protected]. By John Darling for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By John Darling for the Mail Tribune Posted Dec. 16, 2014 at 5:42 PM Updated Dec 17, 2014 at 11:18 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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