A fledgling bald eagle is recovering after being rescued by a sharp-eyed Nanoose Bay fisherman.
“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.”
Dunbar didn’t have to do much to coax the eagle. In the video, he tapped on the boat and told it to, “Come here and have a rest,” which the bird did. After a few minutes, the eagle swam into a net and laid its head down to rest. It then climbed out onto the guard rail. Dunbar could be heard laughing in disbelief.
“Nobody’s had an eagle on the back of their boat, pretty sure of that,” he said. “You are the most unusual fishing partner I’ve ever had.”
The eagle remained aboard, with its wings spread for part of the way, until they docked in about half an hour.
The eagle was taken to Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society in Delta where it was found to be extremely malnourished and might have an infection.
“Apparently, it’s already putting on weight,” said Dunbar, who got an update on the eagle’s condition Monday. “Now it’ll have to learn to hunt and fish well.”
