Expert helps free stuck eagle | Environment

The American symbol of freedom found itself fighting for its own life on Tuesday.

A bald eagle was grounded along the waters of Pine Lake. A possible mate, perhaps confused, kept watch nearby.

Neighbors rushed to free the frantic bird, which had gotten tangled up in a rope hooked to a dock. The eagle appeared anxious.

That's when Tim Brown stepped in to work his magic.

Brown, a raptor bird specialist, whistled what he calls "an eagle song," and apparently the big bird found comfort in that, if not a bit confused by the sounds. Brown ever so gently draped a blanket over the eagle's head.

"When you hood a bird or put (something) over their eyes or so forth, they calm right down," brown said. "See how the bird is listening to our voices? Calmed down."

It took a few minutes to unwind the rope that had tightened around one of the eagle's talons, but the bird let Brown work it out.

"Hey buddy, sorry you're all wet there," Brown said.

A dead duck was found in the eagle's grasp, apparently its dinner for the night.

"That grip there -- they're very powerful," said Brown.

The eagle likely got into trouble bringing its prey ashore. The bird, which appeared to be 6 or 7 years old, was taken to a veterinarian's office in Bellevue to be checked out, and the animal will also be examined by avian experts from Arlington.

The potential of a broken bone was the biggest concern.

"I'm 99.9 percent sure this bird is OK, but it's nice to get these things checked out," said Brown.

For area residents, seeing Brown work proved to be an amazing opportunity.

"Absolutely awesome," said Polly Ek. "He whistled and calmed the bird down. It was like watching Doctor Doolittle; the bird immediately relaxed. He said that the bird knew he was a friend."

The eagle should be released back near Pine Lake by Thursday morning.