A father-son duo, Bryan Esbaugh and 15-year-old Wyatt, were fishing on Ponhook Lake in Queens County, Nova Scotia, when they unintentionally caught a bald eagle. Wyatt, who used to feed fish to birds while fishing with friends, noticed the eagle following them around the lake. The eagle eventually swooped in, grabbed their fishing lines, and flew off with them.
The eagle got tangled in the lines and crashed into the lake. Bryan and Wyatt rescued the bird by carefully removing the hooks. They then guided the eagle to shore and set it free. Dr. Jessica Rock, a veterinarian at the Cobequid Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, commended their efforts. She advised contacting the Department of Natural Resources for future wildlife entanglements.
Despite the ordeal, the eagle managed to fly away. Bryan humorously named it the “Canadian White-Headed Lake Raptor,” in response to a comment about renaming Lake Ontario.
