Judy got to save a pelican. From a distance, she saw a pelican dive down into the water but it didn’t look just right so she stopped to check it out.
Fisherman walk out into the surf, cast their line out as far as they can, then walk back to shore and plant their fishing pole in a rod-holder. That leaves a line above the water stretching way out into the ocean. Poor bird was flying along, skimming the waves, minding his own pelican business, when he plowed into a surf fisherman’s line. Got all wrapped up in it and ended up with a hook in his foot as well. By the time Judy got there to help, the fisherman had waded out to get the tangled up bird, but the only tool he had was an old pair of pliers. No wire cutters or good clippers. Judy showed the fisherman how to squeeze the barb down so the hook could be backed out of the pelican’s foot (our catch-and-release barbless-hooks fly-fishing experience helped). Together, they got the monofilament unwrapped from the bird. Judy has held pelicans before while she was with the pelican project she worked with in Mexico, so it felt familiar to secure the wings and hold the bill shut while they worked with him. She pointed the pelican into the wind and released him. He did a long slow takeoff and flew away. A satisfying moment for Judy.
