New documentary features unseen footage of baby hawk raised by eagles

Fans of Spunky, the Vancouver Island hawkthatbecame an international celebrity over the summer, will have a chance to see more of the bird thanks to a new documentary.

The Hawk Raised in the Eagles Nest: The Complete Storyshows unseen footage of thebird to tell its tale of survival.

The hawkwas raised by a family of eagles, an unusual arrangement for natural enemies and one thatdrew global attention over the summer.

"There is so much documentation but nobody has put the wonderful story together really from beginning to end," Surrey-based nature photographerand filmmaker Christian SassetoldCBChost ofAll Points WestJasonD'Souza.

"The absolute stunning thing, when I look through my footage, was the survival instinct of so tiny a creature that is five to six times smaller than its siblings,"Sassesaid.

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Scenes of survival

Sasse said it's not clear how Spunkycame to be in the eagle's nest but saysthe baby hawk may have beenplucked from itsnestto be eaten, but instead, was fed.

Sasse described scenes of the hawk dodging through the others to get food first and climbing back into the nest after being pushed out by the other baby birds.

"I have one beautiful scene in my footage where there is this huge eaglet next to the hawklet and he sort of bends down like and picks on his feathers and Spunky is so unperturbed about everything, it's just incredible," he said.

The hawk hasn't been spotted since he left the nest at the end of summer. Some fear the bird, who is unafraid of eagles and so might not know to avoid them, will struggle to survive out of the nest.

Sasse said it's possible the hawk simply migrated and will return.

"[Hawks] have a very good memory, very good eyesight. I think it's likely that one day, Sidneyresidents will walk out and they will see the red-tailed hawk," he said.

Sasse's documentaryis available on his YouTube channel.

To hear more, click on the audio link below:

With files from All Points West.