This is a delightful story about a very special young male Wedge Tail Eagle, who became quite famous thanks to the bravery of an English family who were on holiday in Echuca.  The Barlow family rescued the eagle whist canoeing on the Mighty Murray River near Barmah Lakes in April, 2001.

The eagle was born high in a majestic river gum, overlooking a remote backwater deep in the heart of the Barmah Forest during the spring of 1999.  A few days later the other egg hatched and the young eagle being the dominate sibling pushed the new born chick out of the nest and to its death.  This is a normal practice within the big predators, where survival of the fittest will be tested on many occasions during the next 30 or so years.

The young eagle’s parents both tended to the young birds ferocious appetite and within a few weeks the young eagle is starting to grow tail feathers and feathers on the tips of his wings.  Daily he will exercise his wings and spends most of the day sleeping in the warm sun, and watching his parents and other eagles gracefully soaring high above the forest.  The days are now growing longer and his parents are returning just prior to nightfall with dinner, usually galah or cockatoo, but sometimes-small mammals such as small kangaroos, wallabies and possums.  Every now and again dinner consists of hare or rabbit and goanna; these are a real treat for a growing eagle.

This is great region to hunt in, two of Australia’s most beautiful rivers the Murray and Goulburn water the forest that attracts many species of native animals, and out here the eagle reigns supreme.

During 2000 the young eagle learned to fly and more importantly discovered the thermals above the trees and with his larger mother would spend hours gliding above the treetops.  From time to time he would land the first few times ending in a sprawling mass of wings and legs.  His mother, ever alert would swoop down and check the condition of her pride and joy.  Nights were now special, always plenty to eat and warm with his mother and father.  When eagles take a mate it usually is for life, and this gives the young eagle a great sense of security, but these days his only thoughts are of flying and eating and keeping warm at night.

In April 2001, the young eagle’s curiosity got the better of him.  By this time his flying skills have been honed and as he hovers over a section of the Murray River known as the Narrows the eagle makes a huge mistake.  His keen eyesight has picked up a fish near the surface of the river.  After a few test runs just above the water, he dives in and catches the fish, and then in horror realizes he is caught.  The eagle has taken an illegal fishing tackle called a ‘springer’.  A springer is a coward’s way to fish, heavy line is attracted to a snag in the river and with a big hook and live bait, and some big cod have been caught this horrible way. The eagle tries to escape but it is hopeless, with 60 pound breaking strain, the eagle is doomed.

All night the eagle battles, against a huge fishhook that has caught him in the wing, and all the next day, the next night and during the next morning he was totally exhausted.  His thoughts would have been of his mother and the nice warm nest overlooking the backwater.  He was on the verge of drowning when along came the Barlow family, paddling down Australia’s most famous river. 

The Barlow family had commenced their adventure in the Broken Creek, and after a short distance the two canoes enter the fast flowing Murray.  The destination is Barmah Town 2-hours downstream.  An English family paddling down the narrows.

About 25,000 years ago the Murray flowed to the north and the Goulburn would flow in the region, joining the Murray at a point many kilometres north of the present day Echuca.  At this time, there was an uplifting of land along a fault line between Barmah and Deniliquin to the northwest.  The Cadell Fault stopped the flow of both rivers and for many centuries water built up in depressions.  As legend has it, during a big flood the aborigines found a low point in the fault line and with their sticks dug a channel for the floodwaters.  The water rushed out and formed its present channel and this region is known as the ‘Narrows’.

Nick Barlow and his wife Sharon together with the children Megan and Fenella spent what seemed an eternity trying to release the eagle from the entanglement of green nylon fishing line.  Finally with a great deal of co-operation and team work the Barlow family finally cut the line and watched the eagle struggle to the Victorian bank and dragged its self to the base of a huge river gum where it collapsed utterly exhausted.  Later Nick Barlow reflected “I will always remember the fear and aggression in the eagle’s eyes.  It must be the one of the wildest and most predatory creatures on earth, and it couldn’t understand that we were trying to help the bird.”   The eagle didn’t move and the Barlow family was convinced the magnificent bird had died. 

The rangers found the eagle later that day, and advised me that the bird was resting, but they gave little or no hope for a recovery.  Shock had set it, and death was close.

Three days later we received a phone call from the ranger who told me that the eagle was up and about, fed and had been released into the bush.  A remarkable recovery indeed and there was even more.  When the young eagle became airborne it was noticed that he had a huge flash of white under his left wing, all male wedge tail eagles have white on them, but this eagle had a great deal, much more than normal.

We let the Barlow family know that they are heroes and that the young male wedge tail eagle has been spotted flying low across the forest.  We also gained permission to call the eagle “Barlow”.

There will be more to report, as later in 2002 it is expected that Barlow will choose a mate, challenge his father for the exclusive use of the family nest, will probably loose and together with his new mate build a nest to be their home for the next 20 or so years. 

Barlow has been sighted many times since his rescue, he appears to have an affinity with canoes and the people in them, and perhaps he just wants to say thanks for his freedom.  Barlow has a fan club, details from River Country Adventours, and the best way to see him is on a canoe journey through the massive Barmah Forest, or the Kingfisher Cruiser at Barmah Lakes.
This was as at July 9, 2002.

It is now winter in 2004 and there certainly is more to report.  Barlow was spotted regularly for 18 months and the interest in his story grew.  We received e-mails from people all over the place wanting to know more about the eagles in Australia.  It helped us to, as we learned more and more about our native bird.  The Healesville Sanctuary was particularly helpful, and their eagle has just celebrated his 50th birthday.  This eagle has been hand fed since a young bird, and it is doubtful that an eagle in the wild would live this long.

However, on December 15, 2003 a group of canoeists paddling their canoes down the Lower Goulbourn River near Stewart’s Bridge spotted the eagle.  Still flying low and single with a curious inquisitiveness about canoes and their occupants and the white under his left wing, there was no doubt this was our eagle.

That sighting was the last and our concern was for the welfare of the bird that we had grown to love and look out for.  Everyone that went canoeing was looking out for him, including our good friends running the “Kingfisher” cruiser at Barmah, but not one sighting has us all a bit puzzled.  There are a couple of things that could have happened.

Firstly, Barlow has fallen on bad times and died.  Even though he is a young male eagle, he may have taken poison bait, been shot or got sick and passed away.  Eagles are protected in Australia but unfortunately there are some horrid people in the world, and it wouldn’t surprise me if some drunken hoons finished him off.  Probably the same idiots who drive around shooting holes in every sign in the country.

Secondly, Barlow may have found a mate and brought the female back to the family nest and challenged his father for the exclusive use of the nest.  The father being more street wise than his son, probably gave the young bird a father of a hiding and with his pride dented and humiliated, flew off with his mate to another part of the forest, to build their own nest and raise plenty of chicks to keep the species going.

This story has a happy ending, because on June 30, 2004 a group of young people with their leaders from the Pilgrim Uniting Church spotted our Barlow.  He is still flying low and solo; surely he will find a mate this year and settle down.  So the story has not ended, far from over, there will be more…… stay tuned.    

July 24, 2004.

It is now winter in 2006, and there have not been any sightings of “Barlow” for over 2-years.  We must be positive and think he finally found a mate and have flown off together to another part of Australia to hunt and bred.  Perhaps eagles tend to be nomadic and we should be grateful for the short time we regularly sighted this magnificent bird.

July 22, 2006.

Another 12-months have passed with out one sighting of Barlow, and we have come to the conclusion that the bird must have perished.  Eagles are slowly increasing their numbers in the bush, but do it very hard during droughts.  Food is more scarce and there are many territorial scraps and we think Barlow may have got caught up in all this.  It is sad, but life is tough in Australia.  Therefore we must all cherish the time we have and live in harmony with nature.

July 1, 2007.