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Wow. Wow, wow, wow to the Nth degree. Imagine going to school one day, totally bummed because it was only Monday, only to learn you were going to get to see a Bald Eagle released back into the wild right on your own athletic field? Well that was happened Monday at Beaufort Academy.

The Avian Conservation Center for The Birds of Prey chose to release a rehabilitated Bald Eagle back into the wilderness from BA for two simple, but compelling, reasons. One, it is the schools 50th anniversary and two, the BA “Eagles” have been around since the school opened. Now that is perfect symmetry. This was facilitated with the help of Charley Webb who graduated from BA in 1970 and who serves on the Board at the Center. Thank you Charley!

The female Eagle was brought to the Avian Center back in February having been found in a poor condition. While they were unable to tell why she was in such bad shape at the time, they could tell she had had a difficult life so far. At the very least, she has suffered a broken femur, a broken wing, and been wounded by a gunshot (which is a Federal offense). But, as the folks from the Center put it, “she just wouldn’t give up”. Watching her fly after the countdown put the audience in an almost silent state of “awe”. One minute she was there, and the next, she was gone.

Before the Eagle was released, the Center also spoke to BA students and visitors about other birds of prey they had at the center, two of which they brought with them. One was a Harris Hawk, and the other a Yellow-billed Kite, which both kept the audience on their toes and mesmerized with their close-in swooping, gliding, and even catching bits of food mid-flight.

Everyone came away with the joy of having experienced a once-in-a-lifetime event and with a new understanding and respect for birds in general and specifically for the Avian Conservation Center for The Birds of Prey. What’s bigger than Nth degree?