When a bird of prey was at risk of being swallowed whole by a murky swamp near the town of Swinoujscie, a local wildlife photographer did not hesitate to put his life on the line to save it.

The Polish man’s heroic crawl through the muddy marsh was captured on camera, showing the avid photographer risking his life to save the stricken creature.

Drone video of Chomicz fearlessly clawing his way through heaps of river silt and muck without much thought for his own safety has received thousands of views since it was first published in late July.

Wrapping his arms around the white tailed creature, the photographer is slowly – and with difficulty – dragged back to dry land by a rope attached to his waist. A helper on firmer ground grips the rope and carefully pulls man and bird to safety.

Icarus, a six-month-old white tailed eagle, is now recovering in an animal sanctuary.

Another clip posted on YouTube shows the same bird being cleaned up and in good health. Local media report that the baby bird was fed before being transferred to a shelter in Szczecin, about 100 kilometers from where it was found.

It is thought that the bird may have become trapped while hunting for food.

Amazingly, this was not the first time Chomicz has been up to his neck in heavy sludge for the sake of an eagle.

In 2015, he was pictured saving a different bird, which had become ensnared in marshland close to the mouth of the River Oder.