Bald eagle found alive and plastered to car grille after collision, Maryland cops say

When a driver in Maryland collided with a majestic animal, no one expected a happy ending.

As the driver was cruising down Route 4 on March 9, which follows Chesapeake Bay, an American bald eagle flew across the road, accidentally hitting the front of the driver’s car, according to the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office.

The driver pulled over and got out of their car to check for the bird, deputies said.

But there was no bird on the ground.

Perched like a hood ornament, the eagle was draped across the front of the car and strapped in the vehicle’s grille, the sheriff’s office said.

The driver called animal control, and soon Calvert County Animal Control Officer Hannah Neel arrived to take a look.

“ACO Neel safely removed the eagle,” the sheriff’s office said. “After a thorough examination, all were relieved to find the bird seemed to be in good health and was quickly released back into the wild.”

Adult eagles can weigh as much as 14 pounds and have an 8-foot wingspan, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Eagles mate for life and work together each year to build giant nests to house and raise their young, the agency says.

Calvert County is about a 65-mile drive south of Baltimore.

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