Camera returned to man after theft by eagle

July 23 (UPI) -- A Canadian man taking video of wildlife ended up with some surprisingly close footage when an eagle stole his camera and flew away.

James Williams said he was taking video of eagles feasting on fish remains on Skidegate, in British Columbia's Haida Gwaii archipelago,when one of the birds snatched his GoPro and flew away.

Williams said he watched the bird for a time in the hopes his camera would be dropped, but he lost sight of the eagle and feared the GoPro was lost to the ocean.

He said a neighbor's house guest was walking on the beach several days later and found the GoPro with its casing cracked but the SD card intact.

The camera was returned to Williams and he shared the footage of the eagle's unexpected theft and high-soaring flight.