Found snared….captured, treated and freed, this great blue heron was saved
December 22, 2024 9:27 pm
In previous posts, I have photographed and written about one of my favorite bird species being the Great Blue Heron.
This post deals with one that I spent some time photographing, and monitoring at Evergreen Brick Works, Toronto.
There are three main ponds at Evergreen Brick Works.
The ponds that exist now are the remnants of the quarry that was excavated for the red clay that made bricks for many buildings in Toronto.
Great blue
A large body, long necked wading bird found at river edges, ponds and shorelines.
They often walk and wade around the edges of the ponds.
I give individual birds a nickname, if I have spent some time with them. Especially if that time spent had a specific event attached.
One reason to do this [for me], is that it makes it much easier to find the subject in my database when searching for them.
This heron I named ‘Hook’!
Why ‘Hook’?
Read on to find out.
gotcha
‘Hook’ is on the verge of being an adult, probably at the 2 year old stage with most of the adult plumage, but still has some of the longer front throat feathers to mature.
The distinction between male and female in these herons is not clearly visible [to me] and at this age.
I have been very fortunate to witness many successful fishing strike and catch moments at this location.
Most caught fish are Goldfish, probably released into the ponds from home aquariums.
Goldfish are members of the carp family native to China, making them an invasive species here in Canada.
going down
Until a pair of Cormorants from Toronto Islands decided to use the Brick Works ponds as their temporary hunting ground, the ponds were providing adequate nourishment for other bird species, like Kingfishers, Black Crowned Night Herons, and the Great Blue Heron.
However, once the Cormorant pair arrived the game was over!
It took the two Cormorants less than a week to fish the ponds clean.
They are highly efficient underwater swimmers with what seems like an endless appetite.
The site banner photograph above, is one of the Double Crested Cormorants that I observed fishing out the ponds.
I suppose that helps to keep the invasive species numbers down!
Shaking all over
Photo added to lighten the mood!
During the wading around the ponds, ‘Hook’ found itself in a tangle.
I was able to spot this issue because of the long lens being used, otherwise it would have gone unnoticed, and I’d hate to think of what the future might have been for this poor bird.
there’s one
A fisherman had lost a lure and a length of line after getting snagged on something.
Along comes a great blue heron wading at the pond edge and gets all tangled up in the discarded fishing gear.
‘Hook’ was now in a predicament.
The legs were bound together in fishing line and the lure hook was embedded into the leg just above the foot. It must have been painful and so uncomfortable.
not a happy camper
I called Toronto Wildlife Center, but it was late in the day and had to leave a message. I watched helplessly as ‘Hook’ struggled and got even more entangled with the reeds and grasses being entrapped and twisted into the fishing line.
Several lunge attempts were made to free itself and then it finally tore out of the grass/ reed mix and took to flight, taking along a bunch of uprooted vegetation trailing behind.
It sure looked comical, from the ground if it was seen and not knowing the context.
I was very aware, so all I could think of was to hope that the situation did not deteriorate.
showing me the tackle
Arriving early the next day, to my surprise ‘Hook’ had returned, minus the vegetation, but still with the lure and fishing line. ‘Hook’ wasn’t wading but perched on the boardwalk., pecking at the lure and line around the legs.
A technician from the wildlife center arrived at the scene after coordinated cell calls. ‘Hook’ was finally captured after a small cat and mouse location chase from one pond area to another.
In the netting, we were able to free the legs of line and lure, but left the hook embedded, to allow the veterinarian to remove it safely.
‘Hook’ was crated and taken to the center for care and treatment.
A stay at the center for several days was deemed necessary, after x-rays to ensure that lead weights had not been ingested. The hook was removed, and care and treatment provided.
released
At the release, [the exact same location as the capture] I stood some distance from the release crate to be able to photograph the event.
‘Hook’ took a few strides and flew onto the fence that I was leaning on.
Standing just six feet from each other, we exchanged many glances, as if they were acknowledgements.
They were!
see ya!
Hook was free as a bird…. at last!
I want to acknowledge here, the wonderful work and dedication of
The Toronto Wildlife Center.
If people read this and want to help, please consider ways that you can, through donation of time, resources that are always in need, or monetary.
They do such good work in helping all kinds of animals in distress.
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