Nebraska conservation officers rescue bald eagle before blizzard

An injured American bald eagle was befriended by Nebraska conservation officers, who saved its life before a blizzard hit the area.

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The 2-year-old male bird was found Thursday by Norris Public Power District utility workers near Friend, located west of Lincoln, KETV reported. The workers were clearing tree limbs around power lines before an expected blizzard when they found the wounded eagle under a creek bridge, the television station reported.

The workers called the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, which sent officers to the site.

“It tried to flap its wings and it fell into the water,” Conservation Officer Bryce Streger told KETV. “The front was coming through. So we knew we had to move fast.”

The conservation officers, with the help of utility workers, were able to hoist the eagle out of the embankment.

The bird, who was underweight, suffered a battered leg and wing, Betsy Finch, the director of the Raptor Conservation Alliance Center, told KETV.

The raptor was brought to the center Thursday evening before the blizzard hit the area.

“Oh, he probably wouldn’t have made it much longer,” Finch told KETV.

Streger said he has rescued several wildlife animals over the years, but said saving a bald eagle was special.

“Obviously an American eagle is symbolic. It definitely has a special meaning,” Streger told KETV.

Cox Media Group