Lincoln Park Animal Control Officer Adam Manchester has to work slowly and gently to rescue a blue heron caught in a kite string near Ecorse Creek.
LINCOLN PARK — Police received an unusual call for a rescue about 9:45 am Tuesday.
A blue heron caught its wing on what apparently was a kite string in the leafless trees covering the Ecorse Creek near the city limits between Lincoln Park and Ecorse.
Fire Department crews arrived with their ladder truck at the scene, which was near the intersection of Stewart and River Drive The bird was suspended about 40 feet in the air, still alive but very much stuck, police said.
Department of Public Services crews also came with their cherry picker, used to reach tall trees that need trimming. DPS workers were able to cut the tree branch that the string was hung on, lowering the blue heron to Animal Control Officer Adam Manchester, who was waiting on the ground below the traumatized bird with Environmental Officer Denise Cifaldi.
Manchester was able to untangle the bird’s wing and gather it up safely. With its wings outstretched, the blue heron was as tall as Manchester, who expressed surprise at how light the bird was in his arms — “Maybe only 2 pounds,” he said.
The birds can weigh up to around 5 pounds and can have wingspans in excess of 6 feet.
The rescued blue heron was injured enough to necessitate being taken to an animal sanctuary to recover.