A red-tailed hawk got a second chance at life Sunday after a state park ranger pulled it from the waters of Beltzville Lake.

“Somebody called the park office to let us know that they saw a hawk in the water,” Ranger Christopher Karasiewicz said.

When he and Beltzville park manager Cody Miller reached Pine Run Boat Launch for a first look, the bird was near the center of the lake.

The two drove to the dock near the dam and took a boat back toward Pine Run. By the time they reached the hawk a second time, it had drifted to about 100 yards from shore.

Before boarding the boat, Karasiewicz strapped on a life jacket.

“I jokingly told my manager, ‘I’m gonna get wet. I can feel it in my soul,’” he said.

His clothes stayed dry. He pulled leather welding gloves over a layer of rubber gloves, protection against the hawk’s talons and potential disease, and prepared to go after the bird.

“He swam right up to the boat,” Karasiewicz said. “He let me scoop him up, no issue.”

The moment Karasiewicz had a firm grip, the bird went still and stayed calm the entire boat ride back.

“Definitely intimidating,” he said. “When I first picked him up, he just kind of flexed his talons, and I was like, ‘Oh, please, no.”

Once ashore, Karasiewicz set the bird down and gave it a word of warning.

“I said, ‘All right, dude, here’s the deal. I’m gonna set you down, and you’re not gonna claw my face off,’ ” he said.

Karasiewicz and Miller kept watch while they reached out to local animal rescues. By the time anyone called back, the bird had already taken flight.

Karasiewicz has worked at Beltzville for five years. In that time, he said, a hawk ending up in the lake had never happened before.

Wildlife rescue is technically part of a ranger’s duties, though it usually involves deer or the occasional squirrel.

“The hawk was kind of impromptu, ‘Oh snap, there it is,’” he said.

Rangers typically defer to the Pennsylvania Game Commission on wildlife matters. Sunday, the commission gave Karasiewicz and Miller the go-ahead to handle it themselves.

Karasiewicz has some experience with birds of prey. He has participated in saw-whet owl migration programs at Lackawanna State Park, helping capture and track the birds. The hawk, though a juvenile, was in a different category.

“I’ve handled birds of prey before, but nothing this big,” he said. “My job can be a lot of negativity. It was very nice to have a moment where you just get to have a fun day at the park.”

He said he joked with friends afterward about what the day felt like.

“I felt like a park ranger today,” he said.

Karasiewicz urged anyone who spots an animal in distress at a state park to call the park or the Game Commission and keep their distance.

“Keep a safe distance, make the phone call, and keep the animal safe,” he said. “Don’t put yourself in jeopardy.”