Injured heron rescued, released from Beer Can Island dredging

Members of the Longboat Key Public Works Department recently helped Save Our Seabirds rescue a juvenile great blue heron hidden in the Greer Island Spit Management Project.

In early July, SOS began receiving calls about a bird entangled in fishing line, said Ray Sellers, an SOS rescue volunteer.

Later that month, the bird was found with a fishing line and hook embedded in its body. Sellers and his wife, Heather, and other volunteers tried on several occasions to net the bird to take it to SOS’s rehabilitation hospital but were unable to catch it.

“Partnerships between the town, the law enforcement and Save Our Seabirds are very unique," said Ray Sellers. “It's neat to see them get engaged with us, as opposed to just standing back. We're just volunteers that have fallen into this thing. So seeing them participate and help us with rescues, it just really warms your heart.”

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Heather Sellers said that they informed Charlie Mopps, the director of Public Works, about the situation so the dredging team would be aware of the injured bird on the site.

On Aug. 8, the Sellerses received a text from the dredging team that they spotted the bird and had noticed the fishing line was now wrapped around its beak, pinning the bird's beak to its chest. This prevented the bird from eating. The Sellerses were quickly transported to the site by Mopps while Mark Stroik, program manager of the dredging team, kept an eye on the bird.

The team of dredgers and SOS volunteers worked together and netted the bird. It was immediately transported to SOS and was able to make a full recovery.

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“Charlie really made it happen by connecting the dots and telling the team to be on the lookout,” said Heather Sellers. “Then turning around and contacting us, no matter what time of day it was. His commitment to helping wildlife in general is amazing, because he did it with turtles, and now he's doing it with birds. It's just something we're really thankful for. It just speaks volumes of his character.”

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Ray and Heather Sellers invited Mopps to the Aug. 16 release of the great blue heron after it recovered. They said he showed great excitement to be able to send the bird back into the wild.

“We understand these men are extremely busy managing important projects,” said Heather. “We were impressed and grateful to see the teamwork and compassion that Charlie and Mark invested to help wildlife. Ultimately, their willingness to communicate and offer resources to help us saved this bird's life.”