Trapped bird of prey saved after community effort
A bird of prey has been rescued from the roof of a high street bank after it became trapped under fixed netting.
The bird, believed to be a female sparrowhawk, was first spotted on top of the HSBC bank in the Market Place at Thirsk, North Yorkshire, at the weekend, after which concern grew for its welfare.
On Thursday, cheered on by passers-by, firefighters joined a local wildlife expert to free the bird who was continuing to struggle to find her way out.
Following the successful rescue, Krista Langley, from The Wildlife Haven in Thirsk, said: "It's just a nice story of everyone trying to help."
Having first been alerted by a member of the public to a bird of prey being trapped underneath the netting on Saturday afternoon, Ms Langley said she went to investigate, but she could not locate it even after several attempts.
However, when she returned on Wednesday the bird was visible once again.
Ms Langley, co-founder of the non-profit wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centre, said: "It was flying upwards continually and hitting the netting and couldn't find its way out."
She said that it usually tended to be pigeons which found themselves trapped in such netting, while closer to ground level other animals often became stuck in football nets or fencing.
"Entrapment is a common issue, but one at such height is a really big problem," she explained.
Staff at HSBC had been in contact with North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service in a bid to release the bird and needed someone with wildlife experience to be on hand in case it was injured, so Ms Langley stepped in.
After an initial assessment, fire officers cut a large hole in the netting, however the sparrowhawk got tangled.
Officers then removed more netting and the bird managed to free herself and flew away.
Ms Langley said the sparrowhawk did not appear to have suffered any injuries and had been able to fly and perch.
"I think what's happened is it's got itself out over the weekend and has returned and ended up being trapped again," she said.
"It was just a really nice story of everyone trying to help, including lots of very concerned members of the general public," she added.
An HSBC UK spokesperson said: "Having a bird of prey behind the netting on the roof is not an everyday occurrence.
"But we are pleased that, with help from the local fire brigade and the Wildlife Haven in Thirsk, the female sparrowhawk flew off unscathed."
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