Throughout the summer we always have the opportunity to watch various wildlife while we are on the boat. Most of the time we are treated to a great show, just watching mating rituals, hunting and what I am sure for the animals involved is just everyday behavior. Last year Karen and I spent a great deal of time in Cobourg waiting for a weather window to allow us to reach Trent Port Marina on a single engine. One of our favorite birds to watch were the Caspian Tern, these masters of flight and fishing would fly over the water searching for small fish, then dive headfirst in the hopes of catching a meal. Sometimes at the last minute they would abort the dive and continue their patrol of the harbor. We spent hours observing these birds. Most interesting is how they would shake like a dog in mid flight to dry off their feathers.
This year these birds were present at the Trent Port Marina and due to some boaters complaints about the noise that these birds make, the staff put out lines on the break waters with flags every few meters, to keep the birds away. Personally I was not a fan of this for obvious reasons, I like watching these little guys do their thing. One day Karen noticed that one of these Caspian Terns was caught in the line by it's wing and was slowly drowning. I set to ready our dinghy as Karen recruited one of our dock mates. The rescue was launched from the swim platform of Tropical Horizons. As we rowed over to the breakwater, our dock mate gently scooped our feathered friend out of the water and set it onto the dock. The bird was so exhausted it never put up a fight. We discovered that the fishing line the marina staff used was tangled around one of it's flight feathers and this poor animal was dangling in the water by it's wing. Once we untangled the little fella, we just sent him on the dock and hoped that he would rest up and regain enough strength to fly off and rejoin the flock.
After a few hours he was drying out and standing on his own. Karen and I went out for a short boat trip down towards Belleville where we anchored out for a while, when we returned our little friend had flown away. What could have been a tragic end to this bird's life caused by the complaints of a few people who don't like to listen to these wonderful creatures had a happy ending because two kindhearted individuals cared enough to help.
Throughout the summer we always have the opportunity to watch various wildlife while we are on the boat. Most of the time we are treated to a great show, just watching mating rituals, hunting and what I am sure for the animals involved is just everyday behavior. Last year Karen and I spent a great deal of time in Cobourg waiting for a weather window to allow us to reach Trent Port Marina on a single engine. One of our favorite birds to watch were the Caspian Tern, these masters of flight and fishing would fly over the water searching for small fish, then dive headfirst in the hopes of catching a meal. Sometimes at the last minute they would abort the dive and continue their patrol of the harbor. We spent hours observing these birds. Most interesting is how they would shake like a dog in mid flight to dry off their feathers.
This year these birds were present at the Trent Port Marina and due to some boaters complaints about the noise that these birds make, the staff put out lines on the break waters with flags every few meters, to keep the birds away. Personally I was not a fan of this for obvious reasons, I like watching these little guys do their thing. One day Karen noticed that one of these Caspian Terns was caught in the line by it's wing and was slowly drowning. I set to ready our dinghy as Karen recruited one of our dock mates. The rescue was launched from the swim platform of Tropical Horizons. As we rowed over to the breakwater, our dock mate gently scooped our feathered friend out of the water and set it onto the dock. The bird was so exhausted it never put up a fight. We discovered that the fishing line the marina staff used was tangled around one of it's flight feathers and this poor animal was dangling in the water by it's wing. Once we untangled the little fella, we just sent him on the dock and hoped that he would rest up and regain enough strength to fly off and rejoin the flock. 
After a few hours he was drying out and standing on his own. Karen and I went out for a short boat trip down towards Belleville where we anchored out for a while, when we returned our little friend had flown away. What could have been a tragic end to this bird's life caused by the complaints of a few people who don't like to listen to these wonderful creatures had a happy ending because two kindhearted individuals cared enough to help. 
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