A routine day of wildlife photography turned terrifying for a Bowser woman, leaving her with some bizarre injuries and quite a tale to tell.
Lisa Bell was snapping pics of a sky full of eagles on Friday, when a pair of mating birds tumbled into her lap. A shocked Bell suffered puncture wounds on her face and body.
鈥淚鈥檓 a little bruised and a little sore,鈥� said Bell with a chuckle on Sunday. 鈥淭he third day is when it really kicks in.鈥�
Bell was having tea with a friend on Friday, snapping photos of dozens of eagles, flying about in a mating and feeding frenzy.
She focused on a pair that had locked in a mating ritual known as 鈥渃artwheeling,鈥� where they lock talons and plunge towards the ground.
鈥淚t鈥檚 almost like a wedding ceremony,鈥� explained Bell, who has been taking photos of eagles for many years. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e looking for mates for life. They will lock their talons, and it鈥檚 all about trust. They trust each other to let go before they hit the ground.鈥�
In this case, the birds were unable to let go, and plummeted into Bell.
鈥淚 was taking pictures of them all the way down and鈥� boom,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 never thought about getting hit. I mean, how often do eagles drop into your lap?鈥�
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Bell said she initially didn鈥檛 realize she was hurt and said the eagles flew away, apparently unharmed.
鈥淭hey had a soft landing,鈥� she said with another laugh. 鈥淚t was liked they bounced off of me, but I guess I went into shock. I felt blood on my neck and saw it on my hands. I kind of staggered inside to show my friend.鈥�
Her friend quickly took her to the Oceanside Health Centre鈥檚 urgent care clinic.
鈥淭he doctor said 鈥榶ou don鈥檛 see this every day,鈥欌�� said Bell, who was bandaged up and received a tetanus shot. 鈥淚 am pretty lucky. It could have been a lot worse.鈥�
She said some people wondered if she had been near a nest, but she said that wasn鈥檛 the case.
鈥淭here were so many of them flying around and feeding and mating,鈥� said Bell. 鈥淚t was just a one-in-a-million thing. It was amazing, quite a tale for sure.鈥�
Bell previously made international headlines with of a Canada goose battling a bald eagle at Spider Lake Springs Resort in 2016.
鈥淚 guess I鈥檓 going viral again,鈥� she said.
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