“It was a pretty unique situation. I thought people might be interested,” said Don Dunbar, who posted a video of the incident on Youtube where it has received more than 20,000 hits.
Dunbar was salmon fishing on his 24-foot motor boat Sept.7 when he spotted an eagle struggling in the water near Gerald Island.
“I saw something flapping it the water. It was an eagle,” said Dunbar. “After I pulled my lines it was still there. That’s when I decided it needed help.”
Once aboard, the bird was taken to shore, but it remained too exhausted to fly.
So it was passed on to the Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society in Delta, which reports the malnourished animal ate a whole quail upon arrival at its facility.
Bald eagles commonly hunt for salmon and other fish by flying low across the water and attempting to snatch them near the surface.
But, unlike ospreys, if an eagle falls in or is pulled in by a heavy fish, it may struggle to take off from the water, and it is not uncommon for eagles to swim to shore using their wings, since they lack webbed feet for paddling.
(Times Colonist - Sept 22, 2014)
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