By Ian Holmes

‘It could have been severe:’ eagle claws gouge face of Bowser photographer

Apr 27, 2019 | 1:04 PM

BOWSER — A peaceful afternoon snapping pictures on the waterfront suddenly shifted when an eagle’s talons dug into the face of a Bowser photographer.

The unusual ordeal left Lisa Bell, a longtime wildlife photographer, with pair of talon puncture wounds to her jaw, stitches to her finger and a sore chest and lap.

She said the freak incident happened Friday, April 26 at a friend’s place in Bowser during a mating and feeding frenzy involving large numbers of bald eagles.

The situation turned terrifying when a pair of mating eagles dropped fast in her direction as she snapped several pictures.

“They will lock talons and trust their mate to let go in time before they land. In this case, it didn’t quite happen the way it was supposed to. They ended up unlocking talons, but just as they hit the ground in my lap.”

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One of the eagles gouged Bell, which she described as an adrenaline-filled few seconds which could have turned out much worse.

“Those talon marks could have been a lot deeper, they could have gone a little lower. It could have been severe. I’m very fortunate to walk away with the injuries that I do have.”

Bell was treated at the Oceanside Health Centre in Parksville where staff were floored with her story.

“I had a couple of doctors check in on me and say, ‘Okay, that’s got to be the story of the year because I’ve never heard of that happen before.’ What are the odds of two eagles flying and landing on your lap?”

Bell told NanaimoNewsNOW she wasn’t near any eagles nests at the time of the incident.

She didn’t hesitate to answer when asked if her startling experience will cause her to put her camera away for a while.

“Absolutely not. Nothing like this has happened to me before. I’m back out here (on Saturday) taking more pictures.”

ian@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes