I received an email earlier this week about an interesting incident that occurred near Minden a few days ago. A local vet had a Bald Eagle drop a strange bird from its talons in her backyard. The eagle was joined by another and both circled above the bird but neither retreived it. Amazingly, the bird not only survived the crushing talons but also the fall from a great height. The vet later grabbed the bird with a blanket as it struggled in the deep snow. Toward evening, she released it back into a small area of open water on Horseshoe Lake where it has survived for several days now. The bird in question was originally identified as a Horned Grebe. I drove down for a quick look this evening to confirm ID but it is actually a Red-necked Grebe. It is at the outflow of Horseshoe Lake, NE of Minden. It appears healthy and was hunting actively when I was there, including under the ice. That's one lucky bird!
Directions: Hwy 35 to Minden. North of Minden, take a right on Horseshoe Lake Rd. Drive to Bethel Rd. intersection. The bird is upstream of the bridge with Mallards. Good birding, Ed Poropat Haliburton, ON _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to [email protected] For information about ONTBIRDS including how to unsubscribe visit http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdssetup
