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BEAVER COUNTY, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — Local photographers are heartbroken after a young eagle was hit and killed by a train in Beaver County earlier this month.
Two adult eagles, known as Rocky and Adrian, have had a nest at Big Rock Park in New Brighton for several years. They had three eaglets this year, all of which recently fledged the nest. The birds bring joy to many people who spend time photographing them, including Stephen Novoselac.
“I would start talking, and it would cock its head listening to me. I might have been probably one of the first humans ever heard a human voice that close,” Novoselac told KDKA-TV.
Just days later, it’s suspected that same young eagle was fatally hit by a train. It was spotted struggling in the Beaver River and made its way to shore, but couldn’t use its legs. Novoselac said he and Pennsylvania Game Commission Warden Sgt. Matt Kramer came up with a plan to try to rescue the eagle.
“We had to drive around to the Beaver Falls side of the river, and then go down a steep embankment, a grade with no footing at all. We got down there; it was about a 50-foot drop, pretty steep. And got to the eagle and it started flopping around a little bit with its wings, and then he went and picked it up,” Novoselac said.
Novoselac got stuck on the way up and was eventually pulled to safety. But first, he made sure the eagle got to the right people. The bird was taken to Tamarack Wildlife Center to be examined. Carol Holmgren, the center’s executive director, said the eagle had
“catastrophic injuries.”
“He did have, unfortunately, catastrophic injuries. And it showed evidence of severe spinal trauma that did not have a prognosis indicating potential for recovery. So, we’re in this business to help wildlife get healthy and go free, but sometimes the release that we can give is release from suffering. And so, he was given compassionate peace,” Holmgren said.
Novoselac is devastated that the eagle couldn’t be saved.
“At least we tried. That’s our main concern at the time. We tried, we were hoping for the best, but sometimes things like that just don’t turn out that way,” Novoselac said.
The team effort to give the majestic bird a chance means a lot and shows how loved the bald eagles of Big Rock Park are.
“We can take comfort that he got the best possible care and got a very compassionate response,” Holmgren said. “We all did our best, and his spirit is flying free.”
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