Maymont's black bears will be getting some new neighbors.

Construction has begun on a bald-eagle habitat and interpretive center that will include a 60-seat amphitheater for school and public programs.

If work goes as planned, Maymont officials hope two eagles will land at the center this summer. They'll be joined by other birds of prey, such as hawks, owls, vultures and kestrel.

The Robert M. Freeman Bald Eagle Habitat & Interpretive Center will feature an open-air habitat for the eagles and six smaller aviaries. It also will include a concession area and interactive displays.

Work began last month to relocate a roadway near the bear exhibit to accommodate the new habitats. Visitors will cross a footbridge over a small creek to enter the habitat area and will observe the birds from 500 feet of boardwalk through a hillside.

"It's a walk through the woods," said Carla Murray, acting director of marketing for Maymont.

The amphitheater and interpretive exhibits will be located by the boardwalk, while the concession area will be to the east of the exhibit.

Final construction costs have not been determined, but the exhibit was made possible by a $1 million gift from the Freeman Family Fund of The Community Foundation in memory of Richmond banker and civic leader Robert M. Freeman.

Maymont hopes to get one male and one female eagle for the habitat. But that's not for breeding purposes, Murray said.

Displaying a male and a female would illustrate the difference in size between the genders -- with females being larger, she said. Female eagles weigh up to 14 pounds and can have nearly an 8-foot wingspan, while males weigh up to 10 pounds with a 6-foot wingspan.

The eagles most likely will come from wildlife rehabilitators and will be birds that cannot be returned to the wild.

Maymont is not in the business of rehabilitation, Murray noted.

"We will get animals that cannot go back in the wild," she said. "Once they are here, they are here."
Contact Karin Kapsidelis at (804) 649-6119 or kkapsidelis@timesdispatch.com.