Bald Eagle Buddy - Training Update

I just discovered that Buddy is back in training. There are three entries for his 2013 training: 2/21, 2/22, and 3/1. Dr Dave McRuer and Raina Krasner are training him using falconry techniques. Dr Dave is the Director of Veterinary Services at the Wildlife Center of Virginia and has been a falconry apprentice since last fall. Raina is the Outreach Coordinator for the Wildlife Center of Virginia. This is some pretty intensive training and I hope to see frequent updates. They have also posted current pictures of Buddy. He is looking so grown up with just a few dark feathers remaining on his head. His beak is mostly yellow. His tail feathers all look white now. Buddy's eyes are still pretty dark. I asked Ed Clark about his eyes last May at the Bald Eagle Symposium and Festival at the Norfolk Botanical Garden. He said that sometimes, birds in captivity don't get their full adult coloring. You can read about his training and see some current pictures here. Here are some pictures I took of Buddy at the Symposium/Festival in May 2012 so you can compare his plumage. In these pictures, he is 4 years old.



Bald Eagle Buddy hatched in 2008 at the Norfolk Botanical Garden. Buddy resides at the Wildlife Center of Virginia and is in training to become a traveling educational animal. 



Buddy with his handler/trainer Darcie Huntress in May 2012 at the Bald Eagle Symposium and Festival at the Norfolk Botanical Garden.



Darcie Huntress and Buddy.