The Raptor Education Foundation of Brighton is looking for two dozen volunteers to watch over a bald eagle’s nest where a recently hatched eaglet is due to take its first wobbly flight dangerously close to E-470 in Commerce City.

“If it flies off to the west or the southwest, it’s going to go right over the highway,” said Peter Reshetniak, director of the Raptor Education Foundation. “And if it’s a typical first flight, it could lead to disaster.”

The nest is in a tree about 100 yards from the highway, on the southeast corner of the 120th Avenue exit on E-470.

Reshetniak said the baby eagle is due to fly between July 3-6, and he wants volunteers to ideally rotate in 24/7 shifts to watch which direction the hatchling goes.

The “Eagle Brigade” would observe the nest from 120th Avenue for those four days. Since a federal permit is required to handle a bald eagle, on-duty volunteers would call Reshetniak or Anne Price, an ecologist for the foundation, to come from their Brighton offices to the site to rescue the bird if it flies out of the nest.

Right now, Reshetniak has six volunteers. He said most of the watch needs to be in the early morning to late afternoon.

“Typically they wouldn’t take off at night,” Reshetniak said. “But the youngsters are goofy and uncoordinated enough where a big gust of wind could just lift them right out of the nest. I wouldn’t mind having someone there through the night.”

He said the proximity of the nest to the highway is about a 10 second flight for an eagle. The Raptor Education Foundation offices are about a five-minute drive from the nest site.

Reshetniak has been tracking the nest since Januarywhen the fledgling’s parents began building their nest near the roadway. The foundation has been updating the family’s progress on its Facebook page with notes and photos. When he discovered that an egg had been incubated, he contacted the E-470 Public Highway Authority.

“We put up temporary signage in the area to alert commuters to be cautious and not to stop,” said Jessica Carson, E-470 spokesperson. “We’ve also devoted extra Colorado State Patrol and roadside assistance and extra surveillance in the area to keep a look out for the bird to take flight.”

Megan Mitchell: 303-954-2650, or mmitchell@denverpost.com

Volunteer

Reshetniak said people should email raptor2@usaref.org with the times and days they are available to watch the nest. The Raptor Education Foundation office number is 303-680-8500.

An organizational meeting for interested volunteers will be June 28 at the foundation offices at 17101 E. 136th Ave. in Brighton.