NAPLES, Fla. — A Great Blue Heron died after being caught on a powerline on Collier Boulevard between Naples and Marco Island for more than 24 hours before rescue crews arrived.
The Conservancy of Southwest Florida received 27 calls about the bird tangled on a powerline on Sunday but confusion over which company managed the utility led to a delayed response.
WATCH TO SEE WHERE RESCUE CREWS FOUND THE BIRD HANGING ON A POWERLINE:
“The calls started around 8 a.m., and we kept receiving them throughout the day,” said Lauren Barkley, wildlife rehabilitation manager with the Conservancy.
Barkley said people began contacting Florida Power & Light (FPL) when they were unsure which company operated the powerline. The powerline is actually operated by Lee County Electric Cooperative (LCEC) — not FPL — and FPL never showed up.
"And we kept receiving information that FPL was going to come and check on the line… We came here multiple times throughout the day to see if the bird had been removed from the line and unfortunately the bird was still here by the end of the day," said Barkley.
LCEC says it only received the message Monday morning, but by then, the bird had died.
Barkley said the Blue Heron appears to have been caught in a fishing line.
"It seemed that the bird already had line wrapped around its wings so when he was flying over the powerline the fishing line got tangled within the powerline and then he was unable to free himself," said Barkley.
LCEC spokesperson Shannon Williamson said the outcome may have been different if they had received the call earlier.
“As soon as our crews were made aware, we went out there immediately,” Williamson said. “Our crews do work all night, so if we had been notified last night, we have crews on standby 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And had we known, we would’ve been out there last night, and there could’ve been potential for saving that bird," she explained.
Meanwhile, the Conservancy says clear information—like the exact location and height of the powerline—can help get crews out faster in the future.
"I mean it's really tragic and unfortunate situation but hopefully this is just a learning experience for all organizations and hopefully we'll be able to collaborate more so this situation doesn't happen and we're able to react a little faster and get things done," said Barkley.
LCEC says it's working to get a helicopter out to remove the dead bird, but bad weather could delay that effort.
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