Wild Bird Rescues Gold Coast saves bird from drowning in crab pot

Crab fishers have been warned to be more careful after a majestic native raptor was rescued from a crab trap with just minutes to spare.

CRAB fishers have been warned to be more careful after a majestic native raptor nicknamed Barry narrowly escaped a horrific death drowning inside of a crab trap.

Rowley Goonan from Wild Bird Rescues Gold Coast untangled the brahminy kite from the trap on mud flats at Coomera on Sunday.

Wild Bird Rescues Gold Coast found the brahminy kite inside the crab trap at Coomera. Picture: Wild Bird Rescues Gold Coast

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The bird wandered in to the trap at low tide to feed on the bait attached inside and was unable to wiggle free.

“Drowning inside a crab pot is nobody’s idea of fun,” Mr Goonan said.

“Thanks to kayak fisher Brendon’s sharp eyes this brahminy kite avoided that awful fate.

“It had less than two hours to live before the rising tide would have engulfed the pot.

“No wonder the bird was panicking.”

Rowley Goonan from Wild Bird Rescues Gold Coast with the brahminy kite. Picture: Wild Bird Rescues Gold Coast

The kayaker “had seen the pot as he paddled past in the distance” and believed the device had trapped a rag “until it moved”.

“The pot had probably been set hours earlier when meters of water covered the mud flats,” Mr Goonan said.

“As the tide receded it sat high and dry, exposing the bait inside. That bait proved irresistible to the brahminy.”

The rescued brahminy kite has been nicknamed Barry. Picture: Wild Bird Rescues Gold Coast

Mr Goonan caught a lift from Coomera Boat Ramp out to the mud flats with a father and his sons “who jumped at the chance to help”.

Navigating about 500m of shallow channels, Mr Goonan came across the bird, which was “discovered just in time”.

He then set to work freeing the kite.

“Raptors have lots of pointy bits so I wasn’t sure whether I could remove the kite without cutting open the pot,” he said.

“But with some wriggling I managed to slide it out through an opening where it had entered.

Wild Bird Rescues Gold Coast on the way to the flats where the kite was stuck inside the crab trap. Picture: Wild Bird Rescues Gold Coast

“The kite was unharmed, but open-mouth breathing showed it was very stressed.”

The children out on the water with their dad decided to name the kite “Barry”.

Mr Goonan said he was pleased to report Barry the brahminy kite recovered well from his ordeal and was released in Coomera after a short while.

He took to Facebook to recount the “cautionary tale for people setting crab pots” and asked fishers to check the depth of pot placement to ensure they stay covered by water.