Celebrity eaglets and two compatriots released into the wild

Three young bald eagles raised in a wildlife center after their mother died in April were released into the wild Wednesday morning, soaring above an enthusiastic crowd of 1,500, some of whom had spent months watching their every move via a webcam.

Two of the three eaglets released at Berkeley Plantation in Charles City County flew toward the James River, but the third landed in a parking lot. That bird, which had been tagged with a tracking device, overheated. She will be re-released this week after she recuperates.

After being driven to the plantation Wednesday from The Wildlife Center of Virginia in Waynesboro, where they spent the past three months, the birds were given a quick assessment by wildlife center staff and then held for several minutes while their eyes acclimated to the light and their bodies adjusted to the heat.

On the count of 1-2-3, a handler threw the first eaglet into the air. She flapped her enormous wings, circled over the crowd and flew toward the James, a prime eagle hangout.

"It does not get better than that!" shouted Ed Clark, president and co-founder of the center.

"Oh, that was awesome!" exclaimed Dink Suddaby of Roxboro, N.C., who spent hours each day planted in front of her computer, tracking the birds' development.

Two other immature eagles also were released Wednesday. The first was found in a King and Queen County landfill with one of its wings tangled in netting. The other was discovered in an emaciated condition in a field in Hampton. Wednesday marked the first time five eagles were released at once by the wildlife center.

It wasn't long ago that eagles were on the endangered species list; they were removed in 2007. In 1970, only 30 pairs were living in Virginia. There are now believed to be more than 800 nests.

Attendees of the Berkeley Plantation release came from all over Virginia, as well as more than 20 states and Canada. Thousands more watched over the Internet.

The three "rock stars," as Clark calls them, were hatched mid-March at a nest in the Norfolk Botanical Garden, which for years had been outfitted with a webcam, a partnership between the garden, Virginia's Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and a Norfolk television station.

The wildlife center was notified by the young eagles' fans when their mother was killed by an airplane in April. Clark said removing the 4-week-old birds from the nest was a difficult decision, but his staff believed it gave the eaglets the best chance at survival. They were not yet able to fly, and while the father continued to care for the recently hatched eaglets, it was unlikely that he alone would be able to provide enough food to keep the three hungry chicks alive, Clark said.

In Waynesboro, the three eaglets were placed in a nest built by center volunteers and staff, and within 48 hours, the center installed a webcam so their worried fans could continue to track them.

Angel Cooper of Staunton said she spent "more time than I should" viewing the webcam because she was drawn to it. But seeing them get released firsthand Wednesday was "breathtaking," she said.

"I just wanted to be a part of this," she said. "I've watched these babies since before they were born."

Suddaby, who drinks her morning coffee while watching the birds, said she was glad she made the trip from North Carolina. "It was just really a privilege to see this," she said. "I'm proud of my babies!"

The webcam, which was shut down Tuesday, will be turned back on today so that viewers can watch the remaining celebrity eagle until she is re-released.