Man-of-War Rescue
On the evening of January 19, 2024, I received a call from Jackie at Serenity Restaurant. She recounted that a “pelican” was trapped by a fishing line in a tree on the property. I agreed to meet her in the morning to assess the situation.
Arriving early, I found the trapped bird in a tree about 50 feet up the beach. The bird in question was a juvenile Magnificent Frigatebird. The white head and chest indicate its age.
I enlisted the help of my friend Patrick Webster as my tree-climbing days passed long ago. To be clear, they never existed!
His first words were - “Oh, it’s a Man-of-War!” This is a name commonly used for this species. Man-of-War symbolizes the “strength and ability to last long when in flight.”
Patrick noted the Magnificent Frigatebird is often instrumental in leading him to schools of Mahi Mahi when he’s fishing.
According to Jackie, fishermen had been casting for bait fish, and this bird caught a hook in its wing. Landing in the tree, the fishing line snagged and wrapped around the branches. It was helpless to free itself. Looking closely at the photograph above, the hook and line entanglement are marked with blue arrows.
After a quick visit to his truck, Patrick returned with a long pole. He explained he uses the pole for snapper fishing. Today, he used it to untangle the line from the Frigatebird’s wings and free it from the tree.
Exhausted from struggling for many hours, the Man-of-War relaxed on the limb. We gave it time to rest so it wouldn’t fall and suffer further damage.
Eventually, Patrick used the pole to reposition the bird. The goal was to get it to climb on the pole and be free of the small branch limiting its left wing from extending for flight. The bird was having none of that and began to bite the pole.
After some time, the bird understood the assignment and grabbed a foot on the pole!
Within seconds, the young bird was airborne. It circled over us a few times before heading north. No doubt it was starving after the long ordeal. I also expect its parents were wondering what happened to their kid!
While fishing is the livelihood of many in Anguilla, seabirds like this youngster are often casualties of the trade.
As the Frigatebird returned for one last circle over us, Patrick noted that this bird would lead him to a school of fish one day!
Thanks to the action of Jackie at Serenity and Patrick’s ingenuity and skill, this bird will live to see another day.
Take a Walk on the Wild Side!
what a wonderful ending! Awesome work by ALL!
What a great story Jackie, very impressive achievement. Thank you, Jackie @ Serenity and Patrick: Bravo!