Stephanie Hayes was in a small boat with her family when she spotted something unusual in the water.
Upon closer inspection, she discovered an osprey struggling to stay afloat.
Without hesitation, she quickly formulated a rescue plan, knowing that without her help, the bird would undoubtedly drown.
Generally, osprey birds, historically known as sea hawks, river hawks, and fish hawks, are fish-eating birds of prey commonly found in North America.
Renowned for their impressive hunting skills, they typically dive into water to catch fish.
Stephanie and her family suspected that the osprey they found struggling had misjudged a dive, resulting in it submerging too deeply.
Determined to help, Stephanie extended a wooden oar towards the bird, hoping to offer it a makeshift bridge to safety.
Thankfully, the bird climbed onto the oar and was out of immediate danger. He remained there, unable to take off, likely due to his waterlogged wings.
The family slowly headed towards shore, hoping the bird would dry off and be able to fly away by the time they reached land. Stephanie carefully held the oar with the bird’s talons resting on her fingers.
She kept her head down to avoid any accidental injuries from the anxious osprey, knowing it might strike with its beak if it felt threatened.
During the rescue, the osprey accidentally nicked Stephanie’s fingers with its talons, but fortunately, the cuts weren’t deep.
Upon reaching the shore, Stephanie gently flicked the oar, and the osprey took flight.
Just like that, the bird was saved from a likely drowning, and the Hayes family gained another incredible rescue story to tell their friends.
The entire event was captured on video by a family member. If you’d like to watch this heroic act, check out the video below: