A baby eagle executes its first shaky flight from the nest, or fledges, at around 12 weeks of age, but its first period away from home is fraught with peril, as it often ends up on the ground where it is vulnerable to collisions with cars and trucks.
On July 11, Sgt. Giralde, of Mohave County Sheriff’s Office, had an encounter he says he will not forget. While serving on duty at a construction site, he saw the brown feathers of a live eagle fluttering on the asphalt about 100 feet behind his unit, dangerously close to traffic whooshing by along the road.
