Article submitted by Raymond Shaw, written by Richard Crombie who lives in Canada and is the son of the famous Saints alumni B.L. Crombie, class of 1973-78.
Update – February 18, 2025: So, this all started 6 weeks ago Saturday morning December 28, when we heard knocking at the front door. It was that guy in the blue jacket, Al, who had driven by and seen the eagle trapped in thorn bushes which are used as a fence along the property facing the road.
We went and looked, and the eagle he thought was trapped flew away, revealing another eagle that was under it, and definitely trapped in the bushes.
I took hold of its legs and pulled it out while he called the Orphaned Wildlife Rehab Society(OWL).
We waited 30 minutes or so and they came by and took it away to their facility. They were so happy that we would take the time to rescue the eagle, and that I would hold it in my arms like that.
I never thought about it, I suppose it could have attacked me, but it didn’t. It just seemed weak and happy to be rescued out of that bush.
I was talking to Dexter just 3 days ago saying I hadn’t heard from them, so I believed that they had decided to release it some else or had come by when I wasn’t home.
To my pleasant surprise they called the next morning(Thursday) and we set up a time frame for this morning. The guy in the red Mazda had it in a big dog cage. The rest you can see in the video. The other guy and the girl are neighbours who live in a second house next door.
It was a treat to see the eagle strong and able to fly once again. It was gone in a flash.
A once in a lifetime experience for me, I can tell you that.
Majestic creature.
Original Story: On Saturday Dec 28th 2024, in the mid morning, I was alerted to a knock on the front door. I answered it and there was an older man who informed me that he had seen an eagle stuck in the blackberry bushes that form the barrier between the property and the trench adjacent.
I put on my outdoor work clothing and got a pair of thick leather gloves from the truck, then went to the backyard, where I saw the man on the road outside gesturing to me to where the eagle was trapped. I normally don’t go to that spot, so I was happy that he had spotted the eagle. I came up to it and it flew away, only to reveal another eagle that it was on top of. This eagle was trapped in the thorn bushes, and so I held it by the two legs while I worked to remove the thorny vines from it. Its legs were punctured and bleeding and it appeared exhausted. I pulled it away from the bushes and cradled it on my right palm while maintaining my hold on its legs.
The man, a local resident of indigenous origin, had already called the local Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society(OWL) and they told him that they were on their way. We chatted while I held the tired but majestic bird, and it seemed quite content to rest in my hold. The rescuers arrived in 30 minutes and I transferred the eagle to them, at which point I removed my grip on its legs and it promptly took hold of my left wrist with its talons. It took some work to release the grip, and they placed the eagle in a transport cage. They will come back to the property as soon as the bird is rehabilitated, to release it where we found it, back into its local habitat.
Very pleased to help this majestic creature. It never occurred to me that it might well have attacked me in an effort to free itself, but that never happened. Got a scratch and a puncture, but no worries with that.
I helped a creature and made a friend. I hope that the OWL will call me to set up a time when I can be at home to witness or be part of the release, and to see the eagle healthy again.
Photos courtesy of Richard’s daughter Areille.
