A Richardson neighborhood came together on Labor Day to save a baby bird from the brink of death.

The bird was a juvenile green heron whose flailing and tortured cries caught the attention of passersby. The rescue was especially heroic because of its difficulty: The bird was 30 feet in the air and dangling by a single wing over Cottonwood Creek, a creek that runs from Collin County south to Dallas.

The bird was stuck because it got trapped in discarded fishing line, left behind by what neighbors believe to be a group of teens. It's not the first time they've found dead or injured wildlife on site, says Sandy Marie Romo, founder of DFW Squirrel Rescue and a wildlife rehabber who was part of the team that rescued the bird.

"We've been having problems with young kids coming here fishing, leaving behind plastic bottles, garbage, used fishing lines, and animals found injured or dead on a weekly basis," Romo says.

Bird in distress
The Labor Day rescue began at 10:30 am, when neighbors crossing the bridge over Cottonwood Creek spotted the heron, hanging from a tree branch, spinning in circles, crying plaintively, while its distressed mother squawked nearby.

Calls were made to wildlife rescues, and a group convened: two wildlife rehabbers, a kayak owner, a neighbor with a 30-foot pole saw, an animal-friendly tree-trimmer, and a representative from Richardson Animal Services.

First came Carie Juettner, who works for North Texas Wildlife Center, with a tree saw — long but not long enough to reach the branch from the shore. Neighbor Ruthie Aguilera donated her kayak, and Carie's husband climbed in with the pole, rowing closer to the tree. But with deep water and the precarious status of the floating kayak, he was unable to get leverage.

Another couple brought a longer tree trimmer, maybe 30 feet, that just about reached the branch. With dozens of onlookers cheering them on, they sawed at the branch until it broke — releasing heron and branch which both plopped into the water. A neighbor waiting in the kayak beneath the branch, net in hand, promptly scooped the heron up.

Federico Benitez removing fishing line from trees.Federico Benitez

After the save
After the heron was brought ashore, Romo and Juettner placed the bird on a blanket and removed the fishing line entangled in his wings, determining that, despite bleeding, swelling, and bruising, his wounds were recoverable. Juettner took him to the North Texas Wildlife Center so he could get veterinary care.

Federico Benitez, who runs a tree-trimming service and has been involved in numerous wildlife rescues, came from an hour away to help. With the bird already rescued, he climbed the trees in the area to remove all the fishing lines.

A representative from the city's neighborhood police division said they've fielded numerous complaints regarding fishing in that part of the creek, expressing concern over the impact on wildlife.

The problem is that the areas are generally private property — putting the responsibility for enforcement and liability on property owners.

"The pond was originally dug out when all the neighbors on Kirby and Arapaho got together and paid for it," the representative says. "If there was any sort of written agreement or rules concerning its use, those have been not located."

"No trespassing" signs have been posted and some offending parties have been warned. But there are also neighbors who look in the other direction. In fact, while the rescue was underway, Romo says another teen began fishing and proceeded to get his line stuck in the trees.

"Every week young kids are fishing in this very spot," she says. "Some may be responsible, but a majority are not. Every week, myself and neighbors pick up their trash, their fishing lines, their empty boxes, dead fish with improperly removed hooks, hurt animals."

For now it's one bird at time.

"We spent hours to rescue this heron and we're optimistic he will be able to recover," Romo says. "It was truly a team effort within the community."

Sandy Marie Romo

Green heron rescued in Richardson