Have you ever kicked back after a long day and said to yourself, 'what a day?' One North Country woman had that kind of day – and more.

Her efforts likely saved the lives of two of bald eagles, America’s most iconic symbol.

What You Need To Know

  •  Shannon House, an EMT by day, decided to go hiking on her day off

  •  On a trail just outside the gates of Fort Drum, she came across two bald eagles stuck together

  • Using her EMT training, she assessed her safety in the situation and then separated the eagles, likely saving their lives

“I think I was at the right place, right time,” House said.

House had taken Tuesday off. An EMT with the Indian River Ambulance service, she decided to do what she loves to do. She found a trail near Fort Drum and went for a hike.

“A beautiful day. I know it's a trail that's shaded so we wouldn't overheat, and there's water at the other end. I love playing in water, and I know I can find animals along the way,” House said.

However, neither she nor anyone else, could have imagined what wildlife she would find.

“I went out on the dam, and then I just looked and I see something moving over and a bunch of, like, debris and everything,”  she said.

As she made her way down to the dam, she noticed two birds in trouble, eagles.

Not just any eagles. These were bald eagles.

“I thought maybe they had gotten caught in some fishing line or something. So I was like, alright, I'm going to go closer. We're going to check it out,” She said.

That's when House's EMT training kicked in. Eagles are aggressive. Those talons are dangerous. It's a scary situation. She did what a lot of people may not have.

“I grabbed a stick to put towards one of their mouths just to see if or how aggressive they would be. Then, once I determined they weren't going to be that aggressive, I was like, alright, we're going to go for it,” she recalled.

As she went to free them, she noticed they weren't tied together by anything. They were stuck together.

“Their talons were like stuck into each other's legs,” she told us.

But at the same time, she said, it almost felt like they were happy she was there. They let her separate them.

“I carried one in my left hand, one in the right hand,” House said.

She brought them back closer to the water, where they got in and swam for a minute before going back to shore. And while she believes the bald eagles were injured, she does have hope they'll be OK.

“The one flew off like a minute after he got out of the water and the other one was perched up on a tree and he was shaking his wings. So I was like, alright, I think they're OK,” House said.

“That's what my friend said, too, 'You just saved America twice.' I'm like, yes,” she said with a smile.