Date: 4/8/25 2:37 pm From: Diana F. <diana.fru...> Subject: [Arlington Birds] [GiveAHoot-ArlingtonforOwls] dead heron in arlington from discarded fishing gear
Sad news...
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Laura Kiesel <lakiesel...>
Date: Tue, Apr 8, 2025, 4:23 PM
Subject: [GiveAHoot-ArlingtonforOwls] dead heron in arlington from
discarded fishing gear
To: ArlingtonProgressive <arlingtonprogressive...>, <
<Giveahoot...>, Sustainable Arlington <
<sustainable-arlington...>
Today a beautiful Great Blue Heron got hooked by a dangling fish hook into
its wing and was entangled in line at the pond at Menotomy Rocks Park. He
drowned to death as a result.
This GHB will be examined by a vet to see if anything else contributed to
his death but fishing gear was definitely the primary culprit. The fishing
line waste issue has become a huge problem at our local ponds. As some may
recall, I rescued a Black Crowned Night Heron last fall hooked and
entangled at Spy Pond and that same month a GBH was pictured swallowing a
fish still fully attached to hook, line, and bobber at MRP. The incidents
received coverage in YourArlington
<https://www.yourarlington.com/arlington-archives/town-school/town-news/21268-leafblowers-031723.html>.
I had ramped up efforts to appeal to the town to do more about this and
even consider restrictions on recreational fishing. Repeated emails to
Parks & Recs requesting a meeting with Save Arlington Wildlife went
unanswered.
These birds are already facing so many challenges from avian flu,
rodenticide poisoning, habitat encroachment, and drought (due to global
warming). Discarded fishing line is another obstacle compounding their
struggle to survive.
I'd like to ramp up a campaign on this but I'd need a lot more help to that
end.
Many thanks to my super volunteer Denise Jaillet and retired rehabber Ellen
Reed for retrieving the heron and Reed for giving it a quick assessment.
Photo of GBH in the water courtesy of Beth Melofchik (who alerted Save
Arlington Wildlife to the mortality) and photo of bird on land courtesy of
Denise Jaillet.
