That was another good sign.
It watched every movement.
It raised its feet when people approached.
It turned its head away from restraint.
The medical team reduced contact whenever possible.
Wildlife rehabilitation is not about making a Bald Eagle comfortable with people.
The closer the bird returns to normal behavior, the more it should want distance.
Repeat radiographs were obtained after the first week.
The alignment remained stable.
There was no evidence that the projectile removal had created new structural damage.
The fracture line was still visible, as expected.
Soft-tissue swelling had diminished.
No abscess had formed around the wound tract.
Blood work remained stable.
The mildly elevated lead level was monitored but did not rise to a point requiring the intensive approach used for severe systemic lead poisoning.
The eagle’s body weight remained the larger concern.
Days of impaired feeding had already cost muscle.
The bird needed calories.
It also needed to prove that it could gradually resume normal use of the beak.
During the second week, the veterinary team changed the texture of the food.
Instead of pieces small enough to swallow almost immediately, the eagle was offered portions requiring modest manipulation.
The first attempts were awkward.
The bird used its feet normally to hold the fish.
It lowered its head.
The beak closed.
The upper bill contacted the food but did not yet exert full force.
The eagle released and tried again.
Eventually, it removed a small piece.
The rehabilitation technician watching from outside wrote the observation into the medical record.
Independent tearing behavior present.
Still weak.
That was progress.
Over the next several days, the behavior became more consistent.
The eagle learned how much pressure it could use without discomfort.
The bill closed more symmetrically.
The bird began using normal head and neck movements while feeding rather than cautiously touching food and stopping.
Mercer continued to inspect the repair.
One of the major concerns with beak trauma is malalignment during healing. Even a small shift can alter the contact between upper and lower bill.
If the surfaces fail to meet correctly, feeding efficiency can decline.
Abnormal wear can develop.
The bird may eventually become unable to maintain the bill without repeated human intervention.
A wild eagle cannot return to a hospital every few weeks for beak maintenance.
The structure has to become self-sustaining.
By the third week, the bird was eating enough independently that assisted nutrition could be discontinued.
That milestone mattered as much as any X-ray.
The eagle was maintaining weight.
It could hold fish with both feet.
It could tear manageable portions.
It could swallow normally.
The nostril remained open.
No discharge suggested deep infection.
The repair looked stable.
The temporary support was not removed immediately.
Healing beneath the keratin surface takes time.
The outer beak can look much better while the underlying structure remains vulnerable.
The team waited.
Meanwhile, the eagle’s general strength returned quickly.
Both wings remained normal.
The bird began stretching in the hospital enclosure.
The staff saw full extension on both sides.
Grip strength was excellent.
The original shoulder abrasions healed without complication.
Those findings simplified the later stages of rehabilitation.
Unlike many trauma patients, this eagle did not need to relearn basic flight mechanics.
It needed to prove that the face and beak could withstand normal life.
Several weeks after surgery, another imaging examination showed stable healing beneath the repair.
The fracture had begun bridging.
Mercer reduced the external support gradually.
The first day without full stabilization made the entire team nervous.
The eagle, by contrast, seemed unimpressed.
It preened.
It rubbed the edge of the beak gently against a perch.
It ate.
Nothing shifted.
The following days were devoted to observation.
The upper bill remained aligned.
The bird could close the beak normally.
Feeding became stronger.
The next step was more demanding food.
The eagle was offered whole fish rather than carefully prepared pieces.
At first, staff watched from a distance.
The eagle gripped the fish in its talons.
It lowered its head.
The upper bill hooked into the tissue.
The neck pulled backward.
A piece separated.
The eagle swallowed.
Then it repeated the movement.
No hesitation.
No visible instability.
No bleeding.
No loss of alignment.
For Mercer, that feeding session represented one of the most important moments in the entire case.
An eagle that can fly but cannot feed itself is not ready for the wild.
This bird was beginning to prove that it could do both.
The rehabilitation team continued testing over several days rather than relying on a single successful meal.
The eagle had to maintain body weight without assistance.
It had to process food consistently.
The beak had to remain stable after repeated use.
The nostril had to remain clear.
There could be no recurring swelling.
All of those conditions held.
Only then was the eagle moved into a larger rehabilitation enclosure.
The bird immediately chose a high perch away from the entrance.
It remained there until staff left.
Later, from behind an observation barrier, the team watched it fly across the enclosure.
The first flight was strong.
Both wings worked symmetrically.
The bird climbed.
Turned.
Landed accurately.
There was no evidence of neurologic impairment from the projectile injury.
That was another reason everyone understood how narrow the margin had been.
A slightly different trajectory could have involved the eye, skull or brain.
Instead, the projectile had crossed the upper beak and stopped.
The injury had been devastating enough to prevent normal feeding.
It had not destroyed the structures required for flight.
The eagle transitioned quickly into the full outdoor flight aviary.
There, staff evaluated sustained flight, turning, landing and endurance.
The bird performed well.
It crossed the aviary easily.