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 golfset-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 throughRobert Burnaby Park nearHill Avenue. Versteeg said they thought the eagle was dead, but when they got closer, itopened its eyes.

Luckily, the adult male eagledidn'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. Versteegsaid 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 quicklythey're actually back and meeting up with their old mates, and going back to rebuildthe nest for the upcoming breeding season."

'Fluke incident'

When she asked Burnaby Parks about the wirethe 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.

Versteegsaid 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 thesecircumstances.

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

"Obviously they didn't do thison 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.