By Greg Ellison

(Aug. 20, 2020) Quick action by wildlife enthusiasts helped rescue a baby heron that was tangled in discarded fishing line last month along the banks of South Gate Pond in Ocean Pines.

Ocean Pines resident Cathy Kiesewetter headed out on July 31 to meet a friend for a nature walk around the pond despite dreary wet weather.

“It was about halfway between the Sports Core and the dirt lot,” she said. “I look up and there was a heron and he was bound by his feet.”

Kiesewetter and her regular hiking partner, who wishes to remain anonymous, had spotted a pair of baby blue herons days earlier in the lower brush around the banks of the pond.

“They didn’t go up high,” she said. “I think they didn’t know how to fly.”

After sighting the fledgling herons on Monday of that week, the women were aghast to discover that one of the pair was in dire straits that Friday.

“His feet were tangled and he was hanging upside down,” she said.

Upon closer inspection, it was evident fishing line was also hampering wing movement, essentially trapping the heron in place roughly 20 feet in the air.

“He was hanging and was just fluttering and panicking,” she said.

Recognizing quick action was in order, but uncertain how to proceed, the duo went to the nearby Ocean Pines Volunteer Fire Department seeking assistance.

“We took off running towards the fire station,” she said.

In short order, both Capt. Harvey Booth and Public Information Officer Melissa Bragg were apprised of the animal emergency

“We talked to Melissa and Harvey and explained there was a baby blue heron caught in fishing line and dangling from a tree,” she said.

While fire department officials attempted to contact the Maryland Department of Natural Resources the women raced back to the scene to try to help.

“He was starting to slow down and I was afraid he was dying,” she said.

Fearing time was limited, Kiesewetter slipped off her shoes to try and climb up to where the bird was trapped.

“It was pouring rain and really slippery,” she said.

Despite the weather conditions, Kiesewetter felt confident the roughly 45-degree angled tree was scalable.

“I could see the fishing line and it was going from branch to branch with the bobber on it and everything,” she said.

After some effort Kiesewetter appeared to be on the verge of success.

“I finally got a hold of one of the lines and I pulled it and he went up to a branch,” she said.

The positive development proved to be short-lived.

“He kind of got himself up on top of a little branch but then it broke and he fell back down,” she said.

By this point, Booth and Bragg arrived on scene to assist after confirming DNR was not responding.

“At this point I got hold of a line that could pull the bird up and down but he didn’t have control of his feet because they were bound together,” she said.

Kiesewetter said fire responders suggested cutting the line to see if free flight could be achieved.

“I didn’t want to cut the line and then have him get caught again even lower,” she said.

Taking a chance, she opted to cut the fishing line loose from the tree.

“I tied it around my wrist so that I … had more control and wouldn’t lose it,” she said.

Kiesewetter then gambled that she could free the animal.

“I just took my teeth and bit [the line] and he fell into the water,” she said.

Kiesewetter’s compadre leaped into the pond and swam out to bring the heron back to shore.

“Harvey and Melissa broke out pocket knives and cut him loose,” she said.

The rescue ultimately involved more than simply snipping a line free.

“His wing was caught up in it and his little ankles were bound,” she said. “There was actually a hook with a string in his knee.”

Booth carefully removed the hook, which caused a small amount of bleeding, and deemed the bird cleared for take off.

“He said, ‘OK, he looks good’ and then we let him go and he just went,” she said.

Kiesewetter said the baby heron was amazingly docile and seemingly sensed those assembled were there to lend aid.

“He was very calm,” she said. “He never once tried to fight.”

Kiesewetter said during the entire incident parental oversight was occurring from high above.

“Mom and dad were in the air watching all this,” she said. “It’s almost like they knew we were rescuing the babies.”

Kiesewetter said despite the happy ending in this instance, wildlife getting snagged by discarded fishing line is a regular and unfortunate occurrence at the South Gate Pond.

Several months ago, Kiesewetter and her friend chanced upon a goose having difficulty walking only to discover its feet were tied together by trashed fishing line.

“It was wrapped around his ankle three times,” she said. “We got it off and he got better but we saw him limping for a couple days.”

Kiesewetter is hopeful the incident will help anglers realize the threats posed to wildlife by discarded fishing lines and hooks.

“It’s ridiculous down there,” she said. “People just cut it off and leave it.”