Injured Osprey Rescued From Deck On Little Aberdeen Creek

EDGEWATER, MD — Two Maryland Natural Resources Police officers plucked an injured osprey from a home's deck and rushed it to a specialist for care. A residents on Little Aberdeen Creek near the South River called the department for help Friday night after the raptor was spotted on the second-floor deck of a house along the creek.

Here's how the agency described the incident on its Facebook page:

Officer Nelson docked her boat and went to the house. The resident gave Officer Nelson a towel, which she draped over the osprey, keeping its wings close to its body. Pointing the bird's talons away from her body, Officer Nelson kept the bird's face covered to help it remain calm. She called Officer Hunt for assistance.

The two officers took the bird--nicknamed Hemingway--by boat to a volunteer raptor caregiver, where it stayed overnight until it could be driven to Owl Moon Raptor Center in Montgomery County.

Recovery time is of the essence because osprey are about to begin their southern migration for the winter.
Officer Nelson credits training she recently received from Maryland State Park staff for knowing how to capture and handle the osprey without further injuring it.

Park Ranger Woodfield, who provided the training and assisted in getting the bird to a rehabber, called the rescue "quick and efficient."

»Photos courtesy of Maryland Natural Resources Police