In the Fall of 2011, the female returned to the general area with her mate, just 5 miles from the American Eagle Foundation, building their first nest in a tree on Winfield Dunn Parkway close to a Kroger supermarket in Sevierville, TN.

This allowed AEF to read the ID number on the Eagle’s metal leg band ( ).

To everyone’s surprise, it was revealed to be a female eagle that actually had come from the American Eagle Foundation.

“It’s just so good, such a great feeling to know that some of that youngsters have survived long enough to come back to this area, build their own nest, and raise true Tennessee eagles right here in the heart of Sevierville,” Al Cecere, founder of the American Eagle Foundation, says.

AEF records show the new male, now approximately 6 years old, was brought to AEF in 2012 because he failed to fledge from his wild nest located in Marion County, TN.

The eaglet was placed in AEF’s Douglas Lake hack tower and was released at approximately 14-16 weeks old.