Burnaby bald eagle found hanging upside down from frisbee golf wires

A bald eagle that was left hanging upside-down from what may have been a frisbee golf set-up will soar through the skies of Burnaby, B.C., once more after having been freed and cared for by a local bird rescue group.

"He probably hit the wire higher up near the tree when he was flying, and just got his feather stuck in it and then slid all the way to the bottom near the bell," said Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society bird care supervisor Martina Versteeg. 

"He was almost touching the ground with his other wing." 

The bird was found by a woman and her son who were walking through Robert Burnaby Park near Hill Avenue. Versteeg said they thought the eagle was dead, but when they got closer, it opened its eyes. 

Luckily, the adult male eagle didn't have any broken bones or gashes — only a few strained muscles. 

The rescue group will be releasing him back into the wild on Thursday. Versteeg said they're keen to free him from the confines of their care as soon as possible.

"He's already regaining a lot of fight and power, so we think that means that he's probably one of the breeders from the local area," she said.

"That's why we're trying to release him so quickly — they're actually back and meeting up with their old mates, and going back to rebuild the nest for the upcoming breeding season."

'Fluke incident'

When she asked Burnaby Parks about the wire the bird got tangled in, they told her it may have been put up, without permission, by one of the groups that runs some of the frisbee golf (also known as disc golf) activities in the park.

Versteeg said although birds often get caught in fishing line left behind in trees, it was the first time the group had ever rescued a bird under these circumstances.  

"We're not mad about it, it's a fluke incident, but it could've turned out a lot worse for the eagle," she said.

"Obviously they didn't do this on purpose ... but we would have some recommendations on how to make it a little bit safer for birds and wildlife."

Those recommendations could include using bright colours to make the goals more visible, or coating them in rubber so birds are less likely to get caught.