‘Eagle Lady’ presenting free programs on birds of prey in Kingsland, Burnet

KINGSLAND — “The Eagle Lady” is coming to the Highland Lakes with her birds of prey the first week of January.

Doris Mager, a bird rehabilitator and the founder of Save Our American Raptors, will give two free presentations:

• Jan. 3 at 10 a.m. in the meeting room of the Kingsland Branch Library, 125 Polk St. in Kingsland

• Jan. 5 at 10 a.m. at the Inks Dam National Fish Hatchery, 345 Clay Young Road off Park Road 4 West in Burnet

The 45-minute programs are sponsored by the Highland Lakes Master Naturalists.

According to a news release, Mager has been an advocate for the conservation and preservation of American raptors for more than 40 years. In that time, she has rehabilitated more than 80 bald eagles and many other raptors.

As part of a fundraising effort for a raptor rehabilitation center in Florida, she biked, at the age of 60, across

the country, according to the release. The governor of Florida then dubbed her the “Eagle Lady.”

In 1983, she founded the nonprofit Save Our American Raptors with the focus of educating children and adults about the fate of America’s birds of prey, according to the release. She and her birds travel the country presenting programs in schools, wildlife centers, state parks, libraries and senior adult centers.

All the birds in Mager’s programs are non-releasable, the release said. Some have injuries that prohibit their return to the wild and others have imprinted on humans and would not be able to fend for themselves. Currently, she travels with three raptors: E.T., a 30-year-old great horned owl; EV Yaah, an American kestrel; and Tex, a small screech owl.