A group of Holmes Beach residents gave a pelican its wings back.
Joanne Ferguson was walking near the dock at her 56th Street home Feb. 16 when she saw a pelican swimming. Ferguson observed fishing hooks had pierced the bird and its wings were tangled in line.
She lured the pelican in with fish while husband David caught the bird, pulling it from the water with a landing net.
Neighbor Jim Feehan of 56th Street and Jeannie Bystrom responded to Joanne Ferguson’s calls for help.
Joanne Ferguson said she held the bird while Feehan removed the hooks and fishing line and Bystrom checked the pelican for injuries. Bystrom, a wildlife rescuer and advocate for birds that are entangled by fishing gear, pronounced the bird healthy enough to be released.
The group released the pelican the same day from the Fergusons’ dock.
“This story had a happy ending, but sadly that is not always the case,” said Ferguson, a Wildlife Inc. volunteer who often finds injured or distressed sea birds along the waterfront.
“My message to people who fish is to please be responsible with their fishing tackle and, if they hook a bird, don’t cut the line,” she said. “Carefully reel the bird in and remove all hooks and line.”
For more information, or to report wildlife in distress, contact Wildlife Inc. at 941-778-6324.
— Kristin Swain