Ice-Covered Bald Eagle Rescued By Oklahoma Game Warden

An Oklahoma game warden rescued an ice-covered bald eagle Tuesday afternoon.

Game Warden Spencer Grace says ranchers called him when they spotted the eagle in a field near the Osage/Kay County line.

Freezing rain had just passed through the area and the eagle’s wings were covered with ice. 

Grace recorded cell video of the bald eagle when he got to the pasture, showing the eagle could only fly short distances.

“He will fly just a little ways. I don’t think I can catch him,” Grace is heard saying in the video. “There’s probably something else going wrong for him to be like this, but we’ll see if I can’t get up there and get him some help.”

It took a some time, but Grace managed to catch the bald eagle. 

“This kind of weather is really hard on wildlife of all kinds. I think this is the first time I’ve ever had an eagle that couldn’t fly that was coated in ice,” Spencer said.

He put the bird in a cage in the cab of his pickup truck and cranked up the heater to warm up the bird. Grace says after 45 minutes in truck, the eagle had warmed up enough to be released.

The video shows Grace opening the cage and the eagle anxiously walking out, then flying off into the same field where it was captured.

It flew up to its usual perch on a tree where the ranchers say they see it daily. You can watch the video below or go to the Oklahoma Game Wardens Facebook page.