Bald Eagle Lands Exhausted in Ireland
DUBLIN, Ireland (AP) _ A North American bald eagle has landed hungry and exhausted on the southwest coast of Ireland, apparently after a flight across the Atlantic Ocean, a wildlife ranger said today.
It the first bald eagle to be captured in Europe, said ranger Pat O’Connell, who has cared for the bird since it was found Nov. 18 by rangers 13 miles inland near Castleisland in County Kerry.
The bird, originally thought to be a golden eagle, was thriving on a diet of venison, gaining weight, and will be sent back soon to a breeding ground in the United States, O’Connell said.
″I’ll miss it a lot,″ he said of the eagle. He estimated its age at six months.
The bald eagle has a white-feathered head and neck and is the national symbol of the United States.
An unconfirmed sighting of a bald eagle over Anglesea in West Wales was reported in 1978, O’Connell said.
North American birds occasionally fly the Atlantic and are spotted over Europe several times a year.
