(Photo Provided/Monroe Lake via Teresa Bass)

A female bald eagle that has been spotted at Lake Monroe in Bloomington is believed to be approximately 27 years old, which is very rare for the large birds.

Biologist Teresa Bass of the DNR Division of Fish and Wildlife was on the lake Sunday, May 31, with her husband when they saw the bald eagle along the shoreline. Bass was able to take several photos with a telephoto lens.

DNR officials have identified the eagle based on an orange band on one wing and metal leg bands. The bird appears to be tagged as C43, one that was released in the area of Lake Monroe in 1988. She had been relocated from Alaska as part of the state’s bald eagle restoration program.

“I was kind of shocked,” stated John Castrale, who supervised the DNR’s release of bald eagles, peregrine falcons and ospreys until his retirement last year. “That makes her nearly 27 years old. Most birds don’t live that long.”

According to DNR experts, a brood patch on the eagle’s front indicate she is still raising young, too. Only six other bald eagles have been documented to have lived as long, with the oldest reaching the age of 33.

C43 has been sighted in Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee, although she is seen most frequently on Lake Monroe.

Source: WISH TV