Neighborhood Saves Heron Dangling from String

A group of Arbutus neighbors banded together on the morning of April 28 to free a blue heron in distress in a tree.

The bird had become tangled in kite string in the 5400 block of Council Street, and was struggling, according to resident Ida Kern who contacted a friend with the Department of Natural Resources.

She also called the Arbutus Volunteer Fire Department but its extendable ladder was too short to reach the heron.

Baltimore County Fire Department's Truck 5 from the Halethorpe station arrived at the scene, and a firefighter ascended the ladder to free the bird.

Michael Lathroum, an off-duty member of the Department of Natural Resources, answered the call and was on hand to ease the liberated heron into a cat carrier. The bird was exhausted, Kern said, but unhurt.

After period of recuperation with DNR, the animal will be released back into the wild, officials said.