A little while ago we posted a video about a fledgling bald eagle that was rescued from drowning. If you thought that only juveniles are clumsy enough to get waterlogged, here’s a video of a full-grown bald eagle that found itself in the same boat.
The friendly fishermen did their best to assist the waterlogged eagle, covering its head with a blanket and giving it an opportunity to dry its wings. Unlike ducks or geese, whose feathers are adapted to repel water, birds of prey are unable to fly when their feathers become soaked.
This commitment to the bird’s safety was particularly brave considering the massive bird has talons that can tear through flesh like tissue paper, and a beak powerful enough to crush bones.
Notice that the eagle was wearing a tag on its leg, presumably for wildlife management purposes. Their species was listed as endangered up until 1995 due primarily to the effects of a now-illegal pesticide called DDT. Harmful chemicals in DDT would cause calcium deficiency, which made hatching eggs impossible.
Bald eagle numbers have thankfully bounced back, and they are once again a welcome and somewhat common sight in North American wilderness.
Luckily the eagle stays calm, and once it’s sufficiently dry, takes flight, ready to rule the skies once again.
