Kris Porter, a retired zoologist at Busch Gardens, cares for injured birds of all different feathers.
“Right now she’s not able to feed herself,” she said while holding an injured hawk.
And when an bald eagle is hurt.
“They pose such emotion with people,” she said.
She understands the attention.
“Everybody knows when an eagle hits. Even though I probably have four barred owls that were hit with broken wings last week, Eagles take priority,” said Porter.
Porters operates Owl’s Nest Sanctuary For Wildlife out of her Odessa home.
She helped take care of the eagle found in the middle of Countryside Boulevard in Clearwater a couple of weeks ago.
Susan Miller was the closest volunteer and aced to the rescue.
“Obviously Eagles everyone loves. Getting an eagle is great, but honestly rescuing any wildlife is what we do,” said Miller.
Two other eagles are also on the mend after car collisions.
Dash cam video shows a Florida Highway Patrol trooper saving one after it was hit by a jeep in Osceola County.
And another eagle got stuck in a car’s grille in Clay County following Hurricane Matthew.
Porter said it’s common for scavenger birds to get hit by cars because they target prey on the side of the road.
“Birds of prey don’t think about cars and roads. All they see is the food source,” she said.
More eagles are flying Bay area skies as they head south for the winter and look for a mate.
And avoiding them on the roads is almost impossible.
“You don’t know until they are literally in their windshield frame,” said Porter.
Porter said all you can do is drive the speed limit and be aware of your surroundings.
If you do hit a bird call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission.
As for the Eagle she helped rescue.
That bird is on the mend with the help of the veterinarians at Busch Gardens.
