UPDATE on 28 April 2026: The eaglet was returned to his nest today. See video at end.
20 April 2026
Bald eagles eat fish and so do people. Unfortunately our fishing gear can kill eagles with fish hooks that tear the digestive system, lead sinkers that cause lead poisoning, and monofilament that entangles and strangles. We usually don’t see what happens when fishing gear meets wildlife but on Saturday morning 18 April the danger was live on the USS Irvin eaglecam.
That morning Irv, the father eagle, brought in a freshly caught fish for his three eaglets. At just two weeks old the youngest waited front and center while his mother Stella fed him. Watchers of PixCams’ live stream saw the moment when the youngster (USS11) ingested a yellow lure with hook and monofilament. It looked bad.
Don German, retired manager at USS, notified Tamarack Wildlife Center (TWC) who immediately assessed the video footage, saw the eaglet trying unsuccessfully to eject the fishing gear, and recommended he be rescued for medical evaluation. As TWC coordinated the rescue, everything fell quickly into place. Within 12 hours the eaglet had undergone surgery to remove the hook deep in his intestines. By Sunday morning he was eating again.
video embedded from CBS News Pittsburgh
Tamarack Wildlife Center describes the rescue on their Facebook page.
NOTE: If you’re viewing this on mobile: There is a Facebook bug that may prevent display of embedded Facebook posts on mobile devices. Until Meta fixes it click here to see TWC’s post.
If all goes well and the eaglet makes a speedy recovery, he may be returned to the nest in as little as a week. His parents will certainly welcome him back.
Watch the USS Irvin bald eagles live stream on YouTube and stay up to date with their latest news.
Follow Tamarack Wildlife Center on Facebook for more updates on eaglet USS11.
That was so scary to watch but thank goodness for the cams and quick response