Adam and his Wacky Friend

In the fall of 2004 we received a beautiful 20-year old Bald Eagle. He had lived at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal for the majority of his captive life and needed a new home. Other facilities give their birds regal names, such as Liberty, Spirit, Lady, and we have Adam, the name he came with.

Adam knows his name and he responds to it. He had been shot 21 years ago and became a teaching bird. His new home has the view of the mountains and has been totally remodeled for his needs. It is equipped with ladders and perches for comfort and mobility.

He loves Heidi and always throws his head back and greets her enthusiastically when she approaches the gate. Adam and Heidi have established a wonderful relationship and I feel he is as happy as a bird in captivity can be. They travel to places to give awesome eagle programs.

When Adam arrived and was settled in his cage, I had the sense that there was something important missing in his life – he needed something to do, or some kind of addition to enrich his life, perhaps a companion - a “room-mate”. We introduced Adam to a young Bald Eagle, a Golden Eagle and a Red Tailed Hawk. For some reason none of these combinations worked out. Then one day I had the bright idea to try putting a lonesome Raven in with him. Ravens are such intelligent and creative creatures. They are also quite social and do poorly when alone and isolated in captivity. Adam and the Raven also had something in common: they had both been shot out of the sky.

Lo and behold, when the Raven went into Adam’s cage, the fun began! They play games with each other, tease each other, talk to each other and they play tricks on one another. We have observed the Raven stealing Adam’s favorite food, a quail, right from under his feet! Most of the time we observe them sitting peacefully side by side, looking over the fields towards the mountains in the west. I wonder about the stories they tell each other.

Updated by Elke on January 15, 2006 02:20 PM