Dangling bird rescued from power pole

RIRIE — Emergency crews rescued a bird dangling from a power pole Sunday afternoon.

A homeowner near 335 2nd West noticed the osprey hanging from one talon around 11 a.m. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game and the Central Fire District were then contacted to rescue the bird.

“The bird got its foot tangled up in a bunch of twine and was hanging there for a couple hours,” Central Fire Chief Carl Anderson tells EastIdahoNews.com. “It was high up on top of a light pole where ospreys have been making their nests.”

A snorkel truck fire engine was brought out to the power pole, and firefighters, along with a Fish and Game employee, climbed into a large bucket and were raised to the top of the pole next to the bird.

“We were able to cut the little osprey down. It had injuries to his leg with a little bit of swelling and some scrapes,” Anderson says. “The osprey was appreciative of us helping him but was trying to protect himself. He was actively searching out fingers with his beak.”

After being freed, the juvenile bird was taken to the Grand Teton Raptor Center in Wilson, Wyoming, where it will be nursed back to health.

“They’ll keep it until it’s able to fly on its own and then they’ll return it to us. We’ll then let it go in the same area,” says Idaho Fish and Game Communications Manager James Brower.

Brower says ospreys are attracted to bailing twine often found in fields, barnyards and hay. They use it to build their nests, but it often causes problems.

“Young chicks get tangled up in it and end up upside down underneath the nest,” Brower explains. “It becomes a hazard for the chicks, and they don’t even know it.”

The rescue operation took around two hours, and those involved say they’re glad they were able to free the bird.

“We’re always happy to do it. We help where we can,” Anderson says.