Little Eagle's lucky escape from busy road

The raptor was discovered standing in the middle of Werris Creek Road, just outside of Duri. Motorist pulled over when they noticed it didn't move for oncoming traffic and appeared injured.

The good samaritans shooed the bird off the road, before calling WIRES volunteer David McKinnon.

"I don't know how it didn't get killed, that is quite a busy road," Mr McKinnon said.

"He couldn't fly, but he had some speed on the ground. He hopped under a fence and ran on to the railway, which is the only reason I caught him.

"It was a race to see who would tire first."

Mr McKinnon took the Little Eagle to Piper Street Vet to be examined.

"They couldn't find any external injuries, so it could potentially be a concussion," Mr McKinnon said.

"It came in under weight too, so it could be sick. That can often happen if they've digested a rat that's consumed rat poison."

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Piper Street veterinary Chris said the Little Eagle was now in the care of a licensed raptor handler.

"We'll get some food and water in to it to get the blood sugar back up, and if it's a concussion, some time to get over it," he said.

"I see most of the injured raptors, we get a lot from kestrels and hawks all the way up to Wedged Tailed Eagles.

"Usually it's from a car accident. Sometime people find them in their paddock - if they've got a wing problem, they'll stay camped on a carcass, because they can survive quiet well if they've got a food source."

Mr McKinnon encouraged everyone to carry a towel in their car, in case they come across a wounded raptor.

"It's amazing how many problems a towel can solve," he said.

"You can pick them up or herd them off the road. As soon as the bird is in darkness, they cease trying to escape or being aggressive. Then you should contact WIRES or take it to the nearest vet.

"Also, it's important to remember the exact local you found them, so they can be released there. Birds often have a very small territory and to release them somewhere else can be a death warrant."

Mr McKinnon said he gets a call out for a bird of prey at least once a month, and encouraged other nature lovers to think about volunteering for WIRES.

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