A Stornoway woman has described the moment she found an injured golden eagle at the side of the road, wrapped it in her hoodie and drove to get medical help.
Tracey Dinner was travelling through Urga, near Harris, on Sunday when she spotted the bird of prey at the roadside.
Marvelling at the sight, she stopped to take a picture of the incredible creature through her car window.
But on closer inspection, she realised something was wrong.
Tracey, a Canadian who has lived in Stornoway for almost 22 years, explained: “I was driving down to Harris when I saw the eagle, he was on a rock.
“He was 20 to 30ft away from the roadside on some grass.
“I was so amazed to see him there that I stopped to take a picture. He remained still sitting there, so I thought he must be drying off his wings or something.
“He then hopped off the rock behind the grass, and I realised that something was seriously wrong.”
Thinking the bird of prey was injured, she had to make a quick decision.
“It will either attack me or I will be able to help it,” she said.
“The worst thing he was going to do was fight me.
“He was just looking at me. He looked like he needed help, so I knew I had to try and do something.”
Injured golden eagle ‘didn’t make a sound’
Tracey who was in her “day-off clothes” took off her hoodie and wrapped the eagle up in it.
She said: “He didn’t fight me, he didn’t even make a sound.
“Sometimes he would lean into me as though he felt safe.
“I realised his head was on me, and he was calm.
“But those claws, and the power in his legs – they could have done harm if he had wanted to.”
Stornoway woman took golden eagle home
Tracey then took the bird back to her home in Stornoway, some 20 miles away.
She said: “All the time he never tried to attack me or do anything. He just sat wrapped up.
“I then took him into my house, where I have cats.
“They all came in to see me, and saw the eagle.
“The eagle was very interested in the cats, especially the wee black one. I saw him looking at it.
“But I told the eagle ‘no’, and that was that.”
Injured golden eagle was underweight
The eagle was then taken to Old Mill Vet practice in Stornoway, where he later died on Tuesday.
It is unclear if he was euthanised or died of natural causes, but Tracey knew he was seriously underweight.
The 55-year-old said: “It was an experience I will never have again in my life.
“I just knew that he needed help.
“When I found out he had died, I cried. My boss was good enough to let me take a moment, as I found it really sad.”
David Sexton, RSPB officer on Mull, said one theory is that the eagle was hit by a vehicle after coming down to feed by the road.
“The way it was holding its wing suggests an injury,” he said.
“You do need to be very careful particularly of the talons when handling eagles.
“The Scottish SPCA are experts in wildlife injuries like this, and we have sent injured eagles to them before to their National Wildlife Rescue Centre at Fishcross.
“They’ve worked miracles in the past. ”
While the Old Mill Vet Practice was unable to comment, as it’s the vet’s day off on a Wednesday, the Scottish SPCA said they were aware of the sad situation.
A spokeswoman confirmed the weight of the golden eagle at less than half a stone, when it should have been over one stone.
The organisation added that anyone who finds an injured golden eagle should call the Scottish SPCA for help by phoning 03000 999 999.