Hailstorm killed an adult eagle and nestling at Rocky Mt. NWR, Adams county

[Candice Johnson]

On May 30, a localized hailstorm at Rocky Mt. NWR killed one of the 2 adult Bald Eagles, who was found below the nest with a head injury, and killed a juvenile as well. One juvenile was alive in the nest during the following week when Arsenal biologists visited the nest site daily, and it was not taken to rehab. The adult's body was taken to the National Eagle Repository which is at the Arsenal. When you drive along the Wildlife Drive and come to the first crossing of First Creek, all the cottonwoods have been stripped of leaves, and it looks like Winter! The storm was so localized that it spared the 2 Swainson's Hawk nests about a mile away. 

[Amy C]

This is so sad, but good that the remaining eaglet was able to remain in the nest. 

Over a dozen Turkey Vultures were injured in a spring hailstorm and were transported to Rocky Mountain Raptor Program for care.

It's been a hard year for big birds in Colorado!

Amy

Amy Cervene

Arvada, Jefferson

On Sun, Jun 16, 2024 at 4:46 PM Candice Johnson <johnsonc...@gmail.com> wrote:

On May 30, a localized hailstorm at Rocky Mt. NWR killed one of the 2 adult Bald Eagles, who was found below the nest with a head injury, and killed a juvenile as well. One juvenile was alive in the nest during the following week when Arsenal biologists visited the nest site daily, and it was not taken to rehab. The adult's body was taken to the National Eagle Repository which is at the Arsenal. When you drive along the Wildlife Drive and come to the first crossing of First Creek, all the cottonwoods have been stripped of leaves, and it looks like Winter! The storm was so localized that it spared the 2 Swainson's Hawk nests about a mile away. 

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[Patrick O'Driscoll]

It didn't dawn on me until now that an American White Pelican that has been lingering at Ferril Lake in Denver City Park quite possibly was injured/grounded in that same violent and widely scattered May 30 hailstorm.

Visiting the park three days later, I took photos of two pelicans on separate perches at the lake.

(A pair, but sometimes one or even three or four, had been intermittent visitors for several weeks.)

Looking back now at my June 2 pix, I had not noticed how one of the pelicans, hunched on a familiar rock perch on the east edge of Ferril Lake's island, was holding its left wing unnaturally low.

Several days later, while out of state, I got a message from another birder asking where she could report an injured pelican in the park.

I offered several suggestions, including the Animal Help Now! app/online service (https://ahnow.org/about.php).

She was still trying to generate a response when I got back to town last week.

She said city parks, state wildlife folks and rescue groups apparently were saying if the bird could swim it would be difficult if not impossible to catch.

When I went out last Tuesday, the day after I returned, I realized the extent of the pelican's injury.

Standing on the lakeshore, it tried to spread its wings, but only the right one stretched out; the left wing moved but a few inches.

The wing doesn't appear unnaturally torn or tattered, or with any obvious wound.

It's hard to imagine that such a huge bird could have sustained this flight-grounding injury any other way.

But two and a half weeks since the storm, the pelican appears to be functioning, if not flying.

It perches in 2 or 3 spots around the lake, and on Sunday was swimming around, presumably fishing. 

Meanwhile, this year's dramatically smaller population of nesting Double-crested Cormorants at City Park's other major water body, Duck Lake, has perhaps 75 or more nestlings, branchlings and a few fledglings now.

It's possible there were hailstorm casualties there, too, though nothing is readily apparent.

I'll look more closely there on my next visit.

Patrick O'Driscoll

Denver

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