Eagle's sticky situation a vital part of her rescue

Published on Friday 11 June 2010 23:12

THE eagle has landed for a shocked crew anchoring in one of Britain's remotest lochs.

An injured sea eagle – Britain's biggest bird of prey – was rescued by the French crew, after it needed four of them to hold it down and wrap its giant wings with masking tape.

The stricken female bird, with a 7ft wingspan, was found grounded by the crew of the chartered boat Arthur – on the shore of Loch Bhrolluim off the Isle of Harris.

The four crew then surrounded the eagle and "pinned it" to the ground while they managed to get masking tape to strap its wings to its body and keep its talons in check.

The crew then informed Stornoway Coastguard of its capture and set sail for the nearest port at Tarbert on Harris.

Tarbert Coastguard Team and local RSPB Scotland conservation officer Martin Scott were sent to meet the yacht yesterday morning.

Mr Scott then drove the eagle 40 miles back to Stornoway to local vet Hector Low to try to get the masking tape off its feathers.

"It will be a very tricky job," said Mr Scott. "I've had some unusual jobs in my time – but this is up there with the strangest.

"It looks like the sea eagle got involved in a territorial fight with another eagle on the Eishken Estate and was very weak afterwards.

"The crew, who could hardly speak English, then spotted it in its exhausted state on the shore.

"They managed to surround the bird and it took four of them to pin it the ground while they wrapped it in masking tape.

"It is too early to say how she'll do. But we know from her tag that she is three years old and was born in Uist."