'I call him little Gerry': Yukon photographers rescue 2 baby eagles

A Yukon photographer now has a baby eagle namesake after rescuing two eaglets over the weekend near Fish Lake.

On Sunday night, Whitehorse photographers Gerry Mussgnug and Ron Dionne found two eaglets weak but alive after the birds' nest had collapsed. 

Dionne said one of the eaglets was wet and sitting in a swamp.

"The adult birds couldn't even get down to them it was so brushy. They wouldn't have been able to take off or look after them on the ground. And the first predator that would have came by, had the rain and cold not got them, they would have been hooped. They would have been finished."

The two men called wildlife officials, who took the birds to the Yukon Wildlife Preserve for care.

Veterinarian Dr. Maria Hallock said this is the third time the preserve has received eaglets from that area.

"The nest that they came from, that's kind of the location that always has an unfortunate event with the babies," she said. "The parents never seem to build it in the right place. It always gets blown down. We get those eaglets pretty much every year."

One of the eagles had a broken wing, and despite an operation, the vets were unable to repair it.  

"That one unfortunately is going to be captive probably the rest of its life," said Gerry Mussgnug.

"Hopefully the other one will be raised successfully and released. I call him little Gerry."

That eaglet will likely be released in the fall.