Great blue heron rescued earlier this summer released after rehabilitation

Being able to release the great blue heron she rescued earlier this summer was like sending your kid to catch the bus on the first day of school, Terri Driver said — a time of excitement, but also caution. 

After a month and a half of care at Save Our Seabirds, the heron that Driver rescued on July 7 was ready to be released back on the beach at the Broadway Street Public Access.

Driver had been on patrol for Longboat Key Turtle Watch on July 7 when she heard a bird cry out for help. On the shoreline, she saw a great blue heron tangled in fishing line and with a hook in its leg. 

The heron was wrapped in about 10-15 feet of line, according to Driver, and she saw the bird was in terrible condition. It was exhausted, and, with the tide rolling in, the bird seemed to be in danger of drowning. 

Driver described the bird as water-logged, looking like it was drenched and unable to fly. 

An experienced turtle patroller, Driver had scissors on hand and freed the heron from some of the line and stayed with it until her friends and volunteers with SOS Heather and Ray Sellers arrived. 

Photo by Carter Weinhofer

The Sellers transported the heron to SOS, where it received about a month and a half of care. In that time, the bird was able to recover from its injuries, get hydrated and regain some strength. 

Once the heron healed, it had to wait its turn in the flight testing cage, which took a couple of weeks before it was officially cleared for release. 

On the morning of Aug. 26, Driver joined Sellers along with Driver’s husband, Jeff, and other Longboat Key Turtle Watch volunteers to watch the heron take flight back to its home. 

For Driver, she said it was a buildup of excitement getting to that moment. 

First, the excitement came when she first heard the heron was going to be fine and was releasable. 

“I thought for sure it was going to be dead within hours and Save Our Seabirds was reassuring me that it’s going to be fine,” Driver said. 

She continued to receive updates on her heron from SOS until the day came to release it back on the Broadway Street beach. 

Photo by Carter Weinhofer

“To actually see it fly off and look healthy, it’s awesome,” Driver said. “It’s also a little scary because it’s like letting your kid go to first grade on the bus by themselves.” 

At the release, the bird seemed energetic and Driver said she hoped that the heron would stay out of trouble near fishermen in the future. 

Photo by Carter Weinhofer