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After 23 years of vacationing at the same spot on the Maine coast, this summer my family did something that we\u2019d never done before: we called the local game warden.<\/p>\n
My sister, my son, and I had gone for a walk on the stony shore at low tide, expecting to see the usual things \u2014 mussels, clams, oysters, seaweed, snails, gulls, starfish. We didn\u2019t expect to see a bald eagle, snagged high up in a pine tree, hanging upside down by one leg, flapping its huge wings in frantic attempts to free itself.<\/p>\n
We had a sudden, stabbing feeling that we had to do something. But what? We were in a remote location, the bird was easily 30 feet up, and whom to call? Instinctively, we each grabbed our phones and started searching. I don\u2019t remember the search words I typed in. It was probably something like \u201cwildlife rescue near me,\u201d though our location wasn\u2019t near any town of any size.<\/p>\n
Those words brought up the Fish and Game Commission. Relieved when someone answered, I described the details along with the closest road and landmarks, wondering how they would possibly find us; we\u2019d walked a long way from the cottage. My son had the presence of mind to provide GPS coordinates from his phone. \u201cWe\u2019ll be out,\u201d Brian said. Okay, fine. But when would that be? And the whole time the tide is creeping in.<\/p>\n
Amazingly, Brian and another warden, Roy, showed up within half an hour. Shortly after, members of the local fire department scrambled down onto the beach to join them, along with a \u201cclimbing arborist\u201d \u2014 a new term for me. The arborist climbed up to the branch from which the eagle was dangling, attached ropes, cut the branch, and the team lowered the bird to the ground.<\/p>\n
While that was being accomplished, Roy had been on the phone contacting local wildlife rehabbers. As soon as the bird was packed into a carrying crate, it was taken up to a waiting truck and driven off. We worried about the bird, of course, but experienced such a huge sense of relief. We had no idea if the eagle could be saved, but we had done what we could. It was also incredibly heartening to see so many people come to the aid of one wild creature.<\/p>\n
The next day, Brian texted to let us know that the bird had to be euthanized. There was too much damage to its leg. But that\u2019s not the whole story. As the wardens were down a dirt lane to access the beach, they had encountered another eagle struggling, exhibiting unusual behavior. And down on the beach near the tree where we\u2019d found the first eagle, they discovered a third bird flapping around on the ground in a sort of a thicket. Three immature bald eagles \u2014 we\u2019d noticed them flying past every day we\u2019d been at the cottage \u2014 all stricken by something.<\/p>\n
The wardens reviewed the possibilities. Lead poisoning from hunting ammo? It was months away from hunting season. Avian flu? The symptoms weren\u2019t right, and why would the three birds contract it at exactly the same time? The most plausible answer? Rodenticide. The mother eagle might have brought her offspring a tainted mouse or rat and unwittingly poisoned them.<\/p>\n
I know that this is not the typical topic for a gardening column, but I wanted to share it because the experience with the eagles has gotten me thinking in a different way about the choices we make and their potential ripple effects. How everyday decisions can potentially extend beyond us in ways that we would be unhappy with if we saw the results. Having come across that eagle has changed the way I look at things. It\u2019s not comfortable, yet it\u2019s somehow strengthening. I wonder where it will lead me.<\/p>\n
Pam Baxter is an avid organic vegetable gardener who lives in Kimberton. Direct e-mail to pamelacbaxter@gmail.com, or send mail to P.O. Box 80, Kimberton, PA 19442. Pam\u2019s nature-related books for children and families are available on Amazon, at Amazon.com\/author\/pamelabaxter.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n