...almost. Returning from a boat ride, we saw a Bald Eagle flailing in a water in the middle of the bay. I thought it was injured and was trying to stay afloat. A motorized boat would frighten it even more so I jumped in my kayak - after I got my life-vest and a piece of wood that would float. I would put the wood near the eagle so it could step on the wood and not drown.
I power paddle toward the spot. It's not there! Had it drowned already! I look to the closest shore. There it is hopping around. It is injured. I get closer so I can report to the WI DNR the extent of its injuries. (They would send out a rescue team to capture it and take it to wildlife rehab.) About then it flies off to the top of a nearby balsam tree. Oh...
A wildlife neighbor had been alerted and speeds out in his fishing boat. By this time I am tuckered out and head for home after explaining what occurred. He further investigates and finds a 20 inch walleye that the eagle wrestled and brought to shore to eat.
The eagle wasn't injured nor drowning. It was fishing! I had never seen that before. Usually, if an eagle picks up a fish that is too heavy to carry, it drops the fish so it can get airborne again. Not this time! It was hungry for a fish dinner.
There is an active eagle nest in our bay which produces one or two eaglets each year. What a joy to watch the eagles soar! And fish!
