Mike Drongoski has volunteered at Radnor Lake for decades. He still didn't expect his day to end at the aviary. When a NewsChannel 5 crew visited the Barbara J. Mapp Aviary Education Center in late September, he watched Park Manager Steve Ward walk into an enclosure with one of the park's bald eagles. Drongoski said the bird was "making love noises at him." "It's real. It's where we live," he told the reporter.
The crew had come about a newcomer. Before the end of the year, a female bald eagle is expected to arrive from East Tennessee and move into an enclosure that the January ice storm damaged. Getting that enclosure ready has taken staff and volunteers the whole summer.
The Storm's Last Repair Sits Up the Hill
The ice storm began January 24, 2026, and closed Radnor Lake State Park. More than 300 volunteers helped reopen it on March 2, nearly 60 days ahead of schedule. Most walkers had the Lake Trail back by spring. On February 28 alone, 43 volunteers worked on parts of the Lake Trail and the Ganier Ridge Trail.
The flighted eagle enclosure took longer. "The flighted aviary was damaged from the ice storm," Ward told NewsChannel 5. Volunteers spent months zip-tying, digging and building enrichment perches. Friends of Radnor Lake says the project started in June 2026 as a four-month effort. On August 28, 23 volunteers hiked 1.5 miles to the aviary for the monthly workday, and at that point the work was expected to finish in September. By September 28, Friends described the renovation as "nearing completion."
Some of that help came from Nissan. Radnor Lake received a Nissan Neighbors Grant from the Nissan Foundation to support its volunteer program, and Nissan volunteers helped prepare the enclosure.
The rest of the park is still healing too. The Friends' spring newsletter says some of the hardest-hit areas may take years to recover. Volunteers were still improving trails on September 18, when 22 of them moved rock by wheelbarrow onto the South Lake and South Cove Trails.
Who Is Coming, and Why She Almost Wasn't
The new eagle is called Phoenix. She is at Owl Ridge Raptor Center in Washburn, Tennessee. Athens Mayor Larry Eaton rescued her. She has severe fractures in her left wing. According to Chattanooga CW, her veterinarian said she cannot return to the wild but is a good candidate for permanent placement.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service first ordered her euthanized. After public advocacy, the agency reversed course. It said it was no longer recommending euthanasia and would look at options for her continued care. That option turned out to be Radnor. According to Friends, wildlife officials decided she was a wonderful candidate for the aviary.
| Date in 2026 | Milestone |
|---|---|
| January 24 | Ice storm begins and damages the park, including the flighted aviary |
| March 2 | Radnor reopens, nearly 60 days ahead of schedule |
| June | Volunteer work on the flighted eagle enclosure begins |
| August 19 | Reports that federal wildlife officials reversed the euthanasia order |
| August 28 | 23 volunteers hike to the aviary for the monthly workday |
| September 25 | NewsChannel 5 reports Phoenix is expected by year-end, pending permits |
| September 28 | Friends of Radnor Lake says the renovation is nearing completion |
| By year-end | Expected arrival, if the enclosure permit and remaining paperwork clear |
The table's last row is a target, not a date. Friends says the enclosure permit has to be approved first, and paperwork remains after that. "If all goes as expected," she will arrive by the end of the year.
She Arrives Without Her Name
Phoenix will give up her name at Radnor. She will become Eagle Number 3, following the park's practice for its raptors, and she will take on a role as a park ambassador.
"We want people to come and see them, engage with people on why bald eagles are so important to our ecosystem, their national symbol." Steve Ward, Park Manager, speaking to NewsChannel 5
The number matters because of what is already there. Tennessee State Parks lists the aviary as fully occupied, with one great horned owl, one red-tailed hawk, one black vulture, one golden eagle and two mature bald eagles. Every one of these birds is non-releasable because of an injury that would keep it from surviving in the wild. Phoenix will share the rebuilt flighted enclosure with one of the current bald eagles. Friends describes it as a space designed to house two non-releasable bald eagles.
Seeing the Enclosure Before She Moves In
This fall, the aviary's open-house hours are the time to see the rebuilt enclosure while it waits for her. They are self-guided, open to all ages and need no registration.
- Pick a window. The state parks calendar lists Saturday open houses from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on October 10, 17, 24 and 31 and on November 7, 14 and 21. The aviary's own page lists Wednesdays as well, at the same hours. No December dates were posted as of early October, and the park notes that schedules may change.
- Choose your lot by distance. The aviary is a 3/4-mile hike from the East Parking Area and a 1 1/4-mile hike from the West Parking Area at the Walter Criley Visitor Center. The Friends' spring newsletter lists the Walter Criley Visitor Center as open from 7 a.m. until dark. The gift shop keeps shorter hours, Tuesday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Plan around the dog. Pets are not allowed on the aviary's 550-foot boardwalk because they stress the birds, but they are allowed inside the Education Center. Elsewhere in the park, pets are limited to Otter Creek Road and the dam route.
- Don't count on a glove program. Birds of Prey Glove Programs are not scheduled during open houses. Rangers hold them when visitation allows, and never when it is above 90 degrees or below 30. Cool fall mornings are within that range.
- Go inside. The Education Center has live snakes and turtles, plus the Ann Tarbell Library and its digital research collection.
Individual volunteers have no way to pitch in for the rest of the season. Friends of Radnor Lake does not hold monthly Volunteer Days in October, November or December, and individual volunteering is not available outside the posted days. Groups can still ask for specific days outside that schedule, as the park's calendar permits. For most visitors, the open houses are the main way to see the enclosure up close this year.
The Same Weeks, a Few Miles Over
The aviary hours line up with a few other events nearby.
Wednesday, October 7, falls on one of the aviary's weekly open-house days. It is also the date Travellers Rest Historic House lists for Historic Trades Days, with demonstrations and presentations on historic trades.
Saturday, October 24, is a full day. The aviary is open 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Tennessee Agricultural Museum at Ellington Agricultural Center is open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. At 6 p.m., the museum hosts its Dinner on the Lawn fundraiser.
Two more museum dates fall later in the season. On Friday, November 6, the First Friday program is "Artifact Highlight: Indigenous Pottery" at 10 a.m., with reservations through Eventbrite. The Christmas Open House is December 10, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. If Phoenix's permits clear on schedule, that may be close to when Radnor's flighted enclosure has its second bald eagle.
The work at Radnor this year has been the slow kind: nine recovery days in winter, a summer of digging and perch-building, and paperwork that has to clear before a bird with a broken wing can travel west. Land around Oak Hill and in Williamson County often needs that same patient care, whether it's a tree line after a storm or a barn that needs rebuilding. If you're weighing a property where that kind of care matters, Jamie Parsons is glad to talk it through. Request a Confidential Consultation.
