So I'm a photographer for Planet Earth (Discovery Channel) and me and my mates were going out to film this cool brown eagle nest. We had found the previous day. Despite the mother not being there, and the warnings from the local villagers of "Big Sky", we pressed on determined to see some brown eagle hatchlings.
We walked about four hours to the peak where the nest was.
I stayed on the ground whilst the rest of the crew walked up the mountain to get close-ups on the eggs.
I could hear the mother screeching on the peak so I figured everything was okay where I was. Sadly I had forgotten my winter camo suit for filming in the snow, and had to where Josephs brown coat.
I got out my lens and started hooking my camera up and piecing it together, and finally after about 20 minutes of freezing my hands off trying to put all the pieces together, I heard the mother screech one more time and then a flutter of wing beats and a sharp pain in my back startled me.
The mother attacked me with a veracious flurry of talon and wing and beak and scream. I could feel the flesh ripping off my back as her talons dug almost into my spine. I could feel the scars in her nails from her age, that's how deep it was.
She lifted me about 2 feet off the ground pulling me away from camera and knocking it over breaking the 2000$ lens and tri-pod.
I was rushed to the hospital.
6 hours away.
I was bleeding profusely from my back and neck and I didn't think I would make it.
The entire time I was in the ER I kept thinking how lucky I was.
It took about a weeks recovery and some spinal tissue surgery to finally get me back on my feet.
I spent another week in the hospital, doing small bursts of recovery until I was finally able to leave.
The moment I walked out of the hospital
it came for me.
