Ottawa Fire Services crews used a rescue craft and a pole saw to free a belted kingfisher that became tangled in fishing line in a tree in Dunrobin on Tuesday afternoon.
According to the service, a call came in from a "concerned citizen" at about 2 p.m. after the person spotted the trapped bird in a tree in the 900 block of Vances Side Road. The tree was overhanging the water, and the bird had fishing line wrapped around it.
Water rescue crew called in
Responders identified the bird as a belted kingfisher, a species known for diving into waterways to catch fish, and confirmed it was snagged in the line.
To reach it, crews deployed a rescue craft into the water and used a pole saw to lower branches from the tree. Once they could get at the line, they cut it and freed the bird.
Our Water Rescue Technicians wrapped the bird in a blanket, placed it in a box and handed it over to the concerned citizen who made the call.
The service shared the account in a social media post, and said the citizen who reported the bird had arranged to take it to a wildlife care centre for assessment.
Discarded line a hazard for wildlife
The rescue is a reminder for residents who fish along Ottawa's rivers and shorelines of what tangled or discarded fishing line can do to wildlife. Kingfishers hunt near water, perching on branches above rivers and creeks before diving for small fish, which puts them close to areas where line is often left behind in trees and shrubs.
No further details were released about the bird's condition ahead of the assessment at the wildlife care centre.
Dunrobin is a community in Ottawa's rural west end, and Vances Side Road runs through an area dotted with creeks and waterfront properties.
