It was -6F a bit inland from Lake Superior this morning a touch after sunrise. I was birding the Boreal Forest, but did not find much. I didn’t mind as the scenery including this farm was gorgeous. It is now 28F at 2:20 pm, and will perhaps reach 50F tomorrow. Good bye, snow!
The other excitement of the day was being called out to do a “Bald Eagle Rescue”. Apparently our nation’s bird had become entangled in some kind of net. Thankfully, the eagle managed to free itself before I arrived on scene, and thus I was not pressed into service. That is a good ending when the bird frees itself, as although I have hand captured two Snowy Owls in my life, both of those owls were not in the best of shape (i.e. easier to handle). I was a bit worried about trying to free a healthy eagle.
You may ask, what does one bring to an eagle rescue? Here is my answer based upon items in my home and garage:
- Raptor gloves (insures the bird can not sink their talons into your hands and arms)
- Various wire cutters and pliers to cut the bird free
- A large blanket (come up from behind to subdue the bird)
- A very large moving blanket (same as above)
One always comes up from behind a raptor as talons can not move backwards. If you would like to read about one of my prior rescue escapades, here is my rescue of Silver. (a Snowy Owl)