Musings: Rescuing wildlife is like riding a roller coaster
An osprey chick hangs from its nest atop a light pole at Centre Island Beach Park in Bayville. One of its parents unintentionally brought back discarded fishing line with nesting materials. Credit: Jim Jones
Of late, I have been wondering about my own resilience.
I have been doing wildlife rescues for decades, and I have long known the realities of the process. More than half the time, the animal does not survive. Knowing that, you go out, do all you can to help these wild creatures and concentrate on their having no chance without your helping hand. The losses, however, do wear on one.
We lost one of our osprey chicks the other day.
After getting several calls, I had headed over to Centre Island Beach Park to see the chick hanging, upside down from the nest. It was a depressingly familiar story.
A parent osprey had unintentionally brought back, along with nesting material, improperly disposed fishing line from the water. The parent deposited it inside the nest. The line became entangled around one chick’s leg, and it tightened as the chick struggled. The youngster, learning to fly, tried to take off and was held back. Losing its balance, the chick tumbled over the edge.
My experience kicked in. I had all the equipment needed to help, even summoning a utility truck to get me to the chick. The youngster, however, freed itself, landing clumsily on the turf field. My hopes were elevated until I held the bird. One of its legs had been severed by the line.
I wrapped up the chick in a blanket, placed it in my carrier and drove to a veterinarian. I had seen this before. I knew what the vet would say and what we were going to do.
A one-legged osprey cannot survive. The bird was gently put to sleep, and I drove home feeling dirty. I kept thinking, can I keep doing this?
I went for a nature walk today past the osprey nest. One chick was still present, and both parents were on duty. Life persists.
So, I decided to build and install some fishing-line waste receptacles at the beach park and some other nearby locations. The dirty feeling is gone, and it is the wildlife victories that I remember.
Here’s a plea to all those who enjoy fishing: Please dispose of your tackle properly.
— Jim Jones, Bayville
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