In pictures: Bald eagle reunites with mate after treatment for lead poisoning

A beautiful reunion between two bald eagles Monday was made possible by folks at the Cobequid Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre.

The group, along with the Department of Natural Resources, released “Birdzilla,” a “huge” eagle they’d been treating for lead poisoning since December, when she was brought to the Centre.

The Centre said Birdzilla is the biggest eagle they’ve ever admitted.

When she was first brought in, she was so weak she couldn’t hold her head up.

A post on their Facebook page said she was cold, dehydrated, full of lice and had likely been on the ground for a while, which can often happen with lead-poisoned birds.

Rough road to recovery

After being placed under a heat lamp to get toasty and warm, X-Rays were done to check for fractures, and blood tests showed the presence of lead in her body.

She then started a long road to recovery, being fed fish and getting some rehab time in a large pen with other birds.

Once she was fully recovered, the Centre brought her back to the area in Pictou County where she had been found.

The homeowners who found her said another eagle had been lurking in the area, possibly her mate, and that’s why they decided to bring her back to the same place.

Shortly after she was released, the other eagle swooped in, reuniting with his mate in a nearby tree and watching the snow fall.

A beautiful day for the birds, DNR staff, Centre staff and the homeowners who found and healed Birdzilla.