Fire crews rescue bird caught in fishing line in a tree
Posted Aug 5, 2026 12:05:01 PM.
Last Updated Aug 5, 2026 12:08:15 PM.
Members of Ottawa Fire Service are calling a water rescue that happened on Tuesday, “unique.”
That’s because it wasn’t a person crews were dispatched to save from Ottawa’s Dunrobin community, it was a bird. Firefighters were called by Ottawa police who said a concerned citizen reported the Belted Kingfisher was tangled in a tree in a fishing line.
The bird was hanging over the water and couldn’t free itself from the branches.
The water rescue team from Station 22 responded and brought an inflatable boat. From the water they used a tool to grab the part of the tree where the bird was trapped and safely cut the line away.
Firefighters wrapped the bird in a blanket before placing it in a box. The resident who reported the incident had made arrangements with a wild bird centre and was taking it there for assessment.
This is not the first time officials have been called by members of the public for help with injured or stuck birds.
In July 2025, firefighters were sent to Orléans to help bring a baby bird back to its nest. Crews from Station 53 arrived and were met by a specialist who only had a 20-foot ladder, prompting the team set up their aerial apparatus — usually to fight fires from above.
Also, last year firefighters helped a woman after she went to a station with an owl stuck in her truck grille.
The whole head of the large grey owl was stuck in the grille, Nick DeFazio, public information officer with Ottawa fire, told CityNews in an interview. Usually, crews are ready to extricate people from vehicles, but this call required the same level of care.
Gently, an Ottawa fire member removed the bird from the truck.
“The owl was tired but had no visible signs of injury,” DeFazio said. “It was placed gently on the ground and it flew away.”
