Sailboats, Fisherman and Ospreys: Coast Guard to the Rescue

The United States Coast Guard is  one of my favorite topics to blog about. Anything to do with either Training Center Cape May TRACEN, or the permanent party assigned to station Cape May gets my interest.

Several events in the past week have come across my radar screen. First, there was the at sea rescue of  the large luxury sailing vessel 25 miles of shore of Cape May. Air Crews from Atlantic City located the vessel via its activated EPIRB. That stands for Emergency Position Indicator Relay Beacon. A small boat crew from Cape May actually transferred the crew on to their boat and returned the uninjured sailors to Cape May.

A few days later, another Coast Guard crew was helping a fisherman who had fallen out of his small boat ( a result of another boats wake) and scrambled up on the jetty in Cold Spring inlet. The Coast Guard crew caught the rescue on video.

Yesterday, in the back harbors of Cape May a female Osprey became entangled in some of the material she used to build her nest. It’s no secret that Osprey’s use whatever they find, both natural and man-made, to construct nests each year. On a trip on the Salt Marsh Safari one summer, Captain Ed and Ginny pointed out that Osprey use everything from a hoola-hoop to Christmas lights gathered in nearby neighborhoods to reinforce their nests. How the female Osprey became entangled is not clear.

A Coast Guard crew from Cape May, came to the rescue and coordinated getting  the bird to the Nature Center of Cape May, where they knew Gretchen Whitman would know what to do. There, Biologist Ben Wurst from the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey, banded the bird, and examined her prior to release. The Osprey was given a clean bill of health. Thanks to the Nature Center of Cape May for these great pictures.

Are you looking at me?

Are you looking at me?

Zosprey 002

Naturalist Sam Wilson prior to the birds release.

Naturalist Sam Wilson prior to the birds release.

 

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