As intense storms darkened the skies over Chaska, Minn., one early summer evening in 1998, and straight-lined winds bent everything in their wake, a 6-week-old eaglet found itself in a pickle.

It was violently pushed from the security of its nest, fell 60 feet, and crashed to the ground. It was the lucky one— its sibling did not survive the storm. The good news was that its nest was located on Gedney Foods pickle factory property, and the then-endangered birds were closely monitored from afar.

Upon realizing what had happened, Gedney staff quickly responded by contacting The Raptor Center (TRC) and the state Department of Natural Resources for assistance. A physical exam revealed the eaglet had fractured its pelvis; an injury that would heal fine in the nest. The youngster’s best chance to thrive would be to reunite it with its parents as soon as possible. It was fitted with a leg band and returned to the site. A new nest was constructed from the shell of a 5-foot-wide fan, elevated, and secured in the tree. Then the waiting game began. It took almost 48 hours for the adults to resume caring for their eaglet. Roughly six weeks later, the young raptor stretched its wings and lifted into the air.

Fast forward to 2012. John Smithers, a professional photographer, had been capturing images of a nesting pair of bald eagles for nine years in St. Peter, Minn., one of which wore a leg band. Every year, he got closer to being able to read the numbers on the band and in 2012, he was successful. It was the Gedney pickle eagle.

Between 2003 and 2012, that eagle had produced an estimated 20 eaglets, a major contribution to a species recovering from the threat of its extinction.