Wednesday, January 18, 2006 02:57 PM

A bald eagle found injured on the beach at Burrard Inlet is being cared for by the Wildlife Rescue Association.

Eagle 'asked' to be saved

Mia Thomas, staff reporter

A bald eagle isn't one's usual beachcombing find.

But the bedraggled bird of prey is what a Burnaby resident picked up while on a Sunday afternoon walk along a Burrard Inlet beach.

"It was like the darn bird was asking us to save him," said Marilyn Chysyk the next day. "It was the weirdest thing."

Chysyk had gone for a walk along the water with her boyfriend, a friend and their dogs, heading east from Penzance Drive towards the old Shell refinery.

"We usually go to the left (from Penzance), but this time we went to the right."

As they walked along the beach, Chysyk's boyfriend was a little ahead and pointed out a bald eagle on the rocks.

"It looked dirty, and we thought it had been poking around in the mud, looking for something to eat," Chysyk explained.

They were a little concerned that the eagle was, uncharacteristically from their experience with the birds, not flying away as they approached.

It did fly about three metres before landing again and the group walked on.

On their way back, they noticed the eagle was still on the ground, although now in the grass, near a fence.

Concerned, Chysyk walked along the other side of the fence, talking to the eagle, and got within almost a metre.

She could see there were feathers missing from the back of its head and its right eye was infected.

"We had called the SPCA and they said to watch it for a few days and see if it's still in the area," Chysyk explained.

But as they walked away, the eagle flew closer to them, onto the rocks.

And Chysyk knew she didn't want to wait the few days to see what became of the bird.

"I'm too impatient."

She told her friend and boyfriend to take the dogs farther away and then the Burnaby woman walked towards the eagle, which hopped down between some rocks.

"After talking to him for a few minutes, he jumped down onto the beach."

She took her coat off to wrap around the bird and it rolled over on its back so she could put the coat on top.

"I've never seen anything like it," said Chysyk, explaining the bird didn't struggle at all.

With the dogs in the back of the vehicle and separated from the three people and large bird in the front, they headed to the Wildlife Rescue Association facility on Glencarin Drive at Burnaby Lake.

"The front seat was pretty packed," Chysyk laughed.

As she held the eagle during the drive, one of its feet came out from beneath her coat and she started stroking the talons.

"It was pretty neat to carry a bald eagle in your arms," Chysyk said.

Her friend, who was a little more wary of the large bird, later checked on the Internet and told Chysyk how powerful a bald eagle's talons actually are.

"Here I was, rubbing this guy's feet," Chysyk noted.

They arrived at the wildlife association and learned that it was fortunate they hadn't followed through on their well-intentioned thoughts of buying sardines for the eagle - it would have died.

The eagle was fed a special solution of the nutrients it needs and treated before being transferred to the Orphaned Wildlife rescue operation in Delta later on Monday.

However, Jackie Ward, the wildlife association's team leader of animal care, said the eagle wasn't in the best shape on Monday morning.

"His prognosis is very guarded at this point," Ward said.

"He is emaciated. He's not in very good condition."

The right eye that was infected was blind, she explained, and the bird had multiple puncture wounds, at the back of its head and on the right side of its chest.

"They often will fight with other eagles," Ward said as a probable explanation for the injuries.

The mature eagle's fate would be decided when it was taken to the Delta centre.

"If they choose to treat it, long-term care would happen then."

Whatever happens, Chysyk has indelible memories of finding and helping a bald eagle on a Burnaby beach, one sunny winter afternoon.

"It was a great day. It was really, really neat."

published on 01/18/2006