RE: Dramatic Merganser rescue at Montrose Harbor

[Annette Prince]

The Chicago Bird Collision Monitors aquatic team rescues again!

After several hours,, Annette Prince and Jim Tibensky with help from Police Sergent Richard Heger were able to locate and capture this terribly tangled merganser at Montrose Harbor.

Fishing line was wrapped around its neck, wings, leg and beak and hooks were in its mouth and wing. It still could swim and dive very quickly!

We were very fortunate to be able to help this beautiful bird!

Sent from my Galaxy

-------- Original message --------

From: Leslie Borns <cak...@att.net>

Date: 1/8/23 5:40 PM (GMT-06:00)

To: ILBIRDS <ilb...@googlegroups.com>

Subject: Dramatic Merganser rescue at Montrose Harbor

Congratulations to the wonderful team of people who successfully rescued a male Red-breasted Merganser in Montrose Harbor today!  The poor bird's bill was tangled up in fishing line and hooks, and though it could swim, it's chances of survival without help were zero.

Nineteenth District Police Sargent Rich Heger called me around noon saying he'd been alerted to the injured bird and asking who to call.  I gave him Annette Prince of Chicago Bird Collision Monitor's (CBCM) phone number and soon a rescue operation was underway.  For the next several hours, people traveled to Montrose to assist.  Spotters relayed information about the bird as it tried to evade capture; mergansers are exceptionally strong swimmers and I understand it tried to hide under the star docks a lot.  Late this afternoon kayakers were finally able to retrieve it. I believe these are the same folks who rescued the sub adult Bald Eagle recently (who unfortunately later died).  Attached are a couple of photos of the captured merganser taken by Sargent Heger.

The teamwork and caring for birds by so many people across the spectrum in our City is incredibly inspiring, as is the skill and professionalism of CBCM.  I don't know if it exists in other cities, but it is a reason to be proud of Chicago.

Leslie Borns

Chicago/Cook

[jarojim]

I helped with a similar rescue at Montrose a few years ago - Dec. 3rd 2017.  The line was wrapped over the bill, around the neck, and around the body.

It was along the dunes side of the Montrose pier in the shallow water so it didn't take long to catch.

I took the poor bird to Peggy Notebaert Museum for the lady in charge of the rescue. They sent it to Willowbrook who re-habbed it and released it.

It was a day I'll remember all my life.

Jim Jarosz

Norridge, IL

P.S. - Now I collect loose fishing line anytime I come across it and cut it to small pieces before dumping it.

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[Alex Bloss]

Go Sgt. Heger!

Alex Bloss

Chicago

On Jan 8, 2023, at 7:07 PM, Annette Prince <aprinc...@msn.com> wrote:



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[marykr...@comcast.net]

For all of you who, like me, are in awe of what CBCM does to rescue birds, please consider making a donation! I just did, and I hope others of you who can do so will too.

Katy Krigbaum

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[M. R. Blumer Reed]

Thank You for the great suggestion, Katy.   

Mary Blumer Reed

[Leslie Borns]

[M.Bernat]

Ditto on Leslie’s praise, Annette and CBCM. 

Leslie raised an interesting point. Do other cities have anything like Chicago Bird Collision Monitors or is it another unique innovation from the CW like Bird Conservation Network’s long-term breeding bird census?

Mary Bernat

S. Cook County

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[mhp...@comcast.net]

To answer Mary's question, I live in Oregon now and here in the Eugene area we have the Cascade Raptor Center which handles injured raptors and owls plus provides education on birds in general and connection information for other bird rescue services in our state and nationally: https://cascadesraptorcenter.org/

If you ever visit out here, be sure to put this place on your touring list.

Marjorie

"Don't believe everything you think."
 --seen on a bumpersticker

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ilbirds/8c26cd9a-62ee-49cd-b32d-a76b932e71b9%40app.fastmail.com.

[Leslie Borns]

Hello,

Sargent Heger sent an update from CBCM saying the Red-breasted Merganser that was rescued at Montrose last Sunday.  Good news, it is healing and hopefully can eventually be released (my original report attached).  The photos below were taken by CBCM's Annette Prince.

All best,

Leslie Borns

Chicago/Cook

I have a feeling that my boat

has struck, down there in the depths,

against a great thing,

And nothing happens! 

Nothing. . .Silence. . .Waves. . .

--- Nothing happens?  Or has everything happened, and are we standing now, quietly, in the new life?

{Juan Ramon Jiminez, 1881-1958}

----- Forwarded Message -----

From: Leslie Borns <cak...@att.net>

To: ILBIRDS <ilb...@googlegroups.com>

Sent: Sunday, January 8, 2023 at 05:40:35 PM CST

Subject: Dramatic Merganser rescue at Montrose Harbor

[Annette Prince]

Sad to report that the Red-breasted Merganser from Montrose passed away yesterday.  He had serious damage to his mouth/tongue from the fishing line entanglement and had to be tube-fed to make sure he got nutrition.  Not sure how long he was compromised in the wild, but it must have taken its toll.  We are grateful for Sargent Heger's report and information on where Jim and I were able to locate and rescue this beautiful bird so badly harmed by the careless disposal of hazardous hooks and fishing line into the waterways that are home to so many birds.  We are glad he did not have to suffer and starve longer and was given a chance to recover.

Annette Prince, Director Chicago Bird Collision Monitors

DuPage and Cook County

This message (including any attachments) constitutes non-public information. This is confidential and/or proprietary information intended only for the addressee. Any unauthorized disclosure, copying, distribution or reliance on the contents of this information is strictly prohibited and may constitute a violation of law. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete this e-mail, including attachments. If you have any questions about this e-mail please notify the sender immediately.

---

From: Leslie Borns <cak...@att.net>
Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2023 4:21 PM
To: ILBIRDS <ilb...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Update on rescued Montrose Merganser * No Sightings *

 

[Gerald Ritchie]

My heart goes out to all involved and all who cared. It’s the best of our humanity to care for all big and small.

God Bless,

Gerald Ritchie

Chicago

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[Carolyn A. Marsh]

January 14, 2023

The death of the Red-breasted Merganser due to its entanglement with fishing line reminds me that at Big Marsh on the SE side of Chicago, the Chicago Park District is considering increasing bank fishing from the Stony Island Ave. berm to the banks surrounding Big Marsh.

Stephen Bell, CPD director at the Ford Environmental Center, assured me that nothing was official yet. This is something birders should be aware of and oppose. I emailed him the CBCM photos of the merganser to emphasize the point. The duck didn’t die in vain, but may be the poster bird for us to continue to address the discarded fishing line problem.

Attached two Red-breasted photos by the Chicago Collison Bird Monitors

Carolyn Marsh, bi-state bird conservationist, Whiting, Lake County, IN