Oliver The Eagle

I was out hiking/photographing one morning, in an area I have been watching a family of bald eagles, when I spotted (I didnt know what i was looking at initially) something a long ways off, across the river. I could tell it was an animal, but couldnt make out what it was. As I got closer I could shoot then zoom on my camera, and realized it was a bald eagle, hunched up next to the river, with one wing outstretched. I could tell he was injured by his body language. After a few hours of phone calls to locate a land owner, then finding my way to the opposite side of the river with a blanket and box in hand, my neighbor and I (with our 11 year old sons) found the eagle. He was not certain of me at first, so walked out on the (thinnest ice ive ever walked on) ice and stared at me from the edge of the open water as if to say "I dare you to come out here buddy". He eventually gave in, and allowed me to blanket him and get him in to a container to bring him to the medicine river wildlife center, but not before grabbing my forearm with his talons and giving me a nice poke, as if to say, I'm letting you take me but beware. The eagle has now been lovingly named oliver and is recovering nicely at medicine river. Last update, he was eating 6 pocket gophers a day, had gained half a kilo and they had set his sprained elbow back in place. He will have some recovery and physio ahead of him, but hopefully the next picture will be of his release back to the wild!