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I had a call to say that there was a Heron stuck in some nylon netting that had been put over a garden pond, I guess to stop the fish being taken.
Fortunately I could get to it quickly and easily and managed to cut the netting from the poor bird which had managed to get it wrapped around both feet fairly loosely but quite tightly around the joint between the wing and the body.
After a while I got it all away and couldn't feel any broken limbs but lots of "ruffled" feathers and a few sore areas where it had struggled to get free.
The bird was a full breeding adult in good condition and with a very pronounced brood patch indicating that it was either on eggs or small young.
I wasn't sure how long it had been tied up so thought it best to get the bird released in the hope that it'd get back to its nest swiftly.
I took it down to the beach about 100 metres from the pond and in direct line of flight to the nearest heronry on the river Camel.
It flapped about on the beach for a while and then settled to catch its breath and hopefully get over the shock before letting out a loud "kronk" and lunging its head toward me!
It was still pretty feisty!
Please try to avoid using this type of netting as it is deadly to wildlife and even with its use the lure of a few small fish to a bird feeding a nest full of young is too strong to resist!
Hopefully it survived its ordeal, I'm not sure, but I feel I've given it a fighting chance!
