A neighbor of Maidstone Park in Springs on Monday discovered an osprey hanging upside down from its nest, suspended by fishing line. Rescuers jumped into action.
Linda Sheehan of East Hampton was walking the park that morning when she saw the osprey. “I could see it struggling,” she said.
Ms. Sheehan, however, said she was not taken aback by the incident. “It’s not surprising because of the garbage and litter,” she said. "It's happened before.”
Kathleen Mulcahy, executive director of the Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center in Hampton Bays, concurred. “The nest was at the end of the jetty at Maidstone Park where people go fishing,” she said. “Birds pick up loose fishing wire thinking they can use it as nesting material.”
It appears that the bird was stuck upside down for at least an hour before rescuers were able to get it down, Ms. Mulcahy said.
“It was attached to its nest in the pole by the fishing wire,” she said. “It looks like it tried to fly away and got caught.”
The rescue effort began through a text-message chain coordinated by the wildlife rescue center. However, because of the placement of the nest, a boat was needed to facilitate a rescue of the osprey.
Enter East Hampton Town Marine Patrol. Jeanette Caputo, a volunteer with the Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center, joined the harbormasters on the boat. She was able to free the bird from the pole first, then freed its legs from the fishing line.
The bird appears to have sustained no serious physical injuries. “He was very dizzy,” Ms. Mulcahy said, “and his legs were scratched up.”
This is not the first incident of discarded fishing wire causing harm to wildlife. In April in Flanders, a loon was rescued and released after a piece of fishing line got wrapped around its beak, hindering its ability to eat.
Ms. Mulcahy said she hopes that this incident will serve as a lesson for the future. “Hopefully we can use this to get the word out about being better at picking up the line that's left behind,” she said.
As of Wednesday morning, the osprey’s condition had not changed. “It was alert and looking good,” Ms. Mulcahy said, noting that the osprey will be released tomorrow morning.
