by John Foster
*
Pronounced "sill-ee-bill-ee"
There
we were, having fought our way through the Hartlepool Tallships crowds, viewing
the Saltholme Pools.
A
Ruff .. one .. two .. three .. four. Two Little Egrets. A Little Stint. And then
we saw it ...
It
was a Silebile. It couldn't be! It was - but was it Lesser Crested. Yes, YES,
YESSSS - the almost skin coloured crest was definitely there!!! But it was in
distress, flapping about, looking this way and that.
I rushed towards it, vaulting the gate in the process. It was crying, but it was out of reach on the island in the middle of Back Saltholme. Brian came to my aid and together we worked out that it couldn't fly or swim. It was stuck.
Out
with the mobile phone. 9..9..9.. "Rescue, please ... "
Minutes
later they arrived, blue lights flashing, sirens blaring. Not one, not two, but
three Fire and Rescue engines plus not one but two Fire and Rescue cars. But
that's not all, soon arrived a Fire and Rescue Water Rescue Unit consisting of a
Landrover complete with an inflatable inshore lifeboat in tow closely followed
by a film crew from ITV.
The
huge lay-by used by many a birdwatcher was overflowing with red vehicles and the
air was thick with barked commands. Soon twenty firemen were embarking on the
arduous trek across the fields and waterways to the site of the incident. The
Fire Chief co-ordinated the operation using my scope (I was so proud).
They
arrived at "the scene" and within what seemed like seconds one of the
firemen was across the watery divide. With lifebelt and safety rope on and water
almost up to its knees the poor creature was guided and cajoled to the shore.
The fireman hero's colleagues could only look on in envy knowing that they would
be unable to claim direct responsibility for rescuing one of the world's rarest
creatures.
The
original reason for the creature’s distress then became apparent. It had been
defending a poor chick of another species that was being attacked by other
birds. Although clearly male, its in-built mothering instinct was so strong that
it emerged from its ordeal still clutching the small infant.
Refusing
my wife’s offers of refreshment the bedraggled creature, with an air of
gratefulness and a small look of embarrassment, took off to look after the young
chick it had rescued.
We
were all lucky that day. Had Brian and I not been around we could well have
never seen, and not been able to bring to the world news of, such a wonderful
creature. The organisation, professionalism and bravery of our Fire and Rescue
Service would not have been recorded for posterity. And a huge opportunity to
bring both enjoyment and embarrassment to the birdwatching fraternity would have
been missed. Also this never before seen specimen could still be floundering
around in the mud or, even worse, it could have succumbed to the treacherous
waters of Back Saltholme Pool only to have been discovered by some future
archaeological excavation.
As
it was, the few watching birdwatchers were still chuckling as the might of the
local Rescue Service moved out to go to the aid of other unfortunate creatures
safe in the knowledge that they had done their bit that day to preserve one of
the rarest creatures - the Lesser Crested Silebile of Saltholme.
John Foster
PS Firstly
the Fire and Rescue Service regarded it as a successful rescue as their rescued
creature survived. However, the rescued individual was not so successful as his
rescued creature died!
PPS
Also, I understand that the non-swimming rescued individual is to have paddling
lessons and Paddling Prohibited signs are to be installed at Back Saltholme!!
Photo Exclusive - The Dangers of the Deep .....
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