LLOYD HARBOR, NY — An osprey tangled in a fishing line up in a tree was rescued by Huntington firefighters on Tuesday night, the department said.
Lloyd Harbor police at 9 p.m. notified the Huntington Fire Department of an osprey stuck in a tree 40 feet in the air on Count Rumford Lane in Lloyd Harbor. The bird was ensnared in a fishing line on a steep hillside about 80 feet from the driveway. Firefighter Scott Loechner and Lieutenant William Martin reached the bird, freed it, and brought it to the ground.
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Bobby Horvath of Wildlife In Need Of Rescue and Rehabilitation responded to take the bird for observation and rehabilitation. The osprey should make a full recovery, Horvath told the department.
Chief of Department Sean Schwier was in charge of the operation with assistance from 2nd Deputy Matthew Getter.
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“It’s always a good feeling to help anybody, animals or people,” Getter told Patch. “That’s what we’re there for. That’s what we do. The members, the firefighters, were more than eager to put themselves in a risky situation to do good for anything.”
The male bird was hanging upside down for a few hours before the department was called, Getter said.
Horvath, on his Facebook page, said the bird suffered a hip injury — possibly a dislocation.
“It can stand on it so there’s hope it can recover,” Horvath wrote. “Thank you very much to the police and fire dept. for their hard work making this possible late tonight. A few more hours hanging upside would surely have caused more serious medical issues or killed it.”
Video captured by the Huntington Fire Department shows firefighters cutting the bird loose and bringing it to safety.
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