Local residents rescue hooked osprey
On April 30, John Balfe was out for a walk with his wife, Nona, and their daughter, Julia Varner, who was visiting the island from Minnesota, when they noticed an osprey that seemed to be struggling.
“It was flapping next to a nearby dock, then we could see it appeared to be attached to a line,” Balfe said.
The dock was located at the home of Bob and Bonnie DeGroote, who invited them to come and help the osprey, when Balfe explained what was happening out back. Able to place the osprey in a fishing net on the dock, Balfe could see that the bird was hooked on the fishing line.
Having had surgery on his eye the day before, Balfe wasn’t supposed to do very much, but said he was able to hold the bird’s wing and get shots of the event with his camera as it was happening.
“It took about 15 minutes to get the hooks cut and pulled out,” Balfe said.
“CROW was unavailable at that time. Bob and Bonnie did all the hard work, and Bonnie ended up getting a fishhook through one of her fingers. She had to go to Emergency Receiving to get the hook out.
“In the end, the osprey was freed and left under its own power,” Balfe said.