WATCH: Tad and Polly Help Save an Osprey Stuck in Fishing Line

An osprey got tangled in some fishing line and needed a little help getting free. So we stepped in to help.

Every year, Tad and I spend a week at the beach in Emerald Isle, North Carolina. Every year we are fortunate enough to see wildlife, including dolphins, sharks, and even a whale once. But this year was a new experience.

A quiet day at the beach turned into a rescue for Tad and I. We were enjoying the sun and the sand when an osprey flew into some fishing line, getting its wing tangled. But how do you help without getting injured from the sharp talons or beak?

Our friend Rick gently pulled the line to bring the bird to shore, with a little help from the waves. Because no one was going to swim out to help. Once the waves washed the bird onto shore, flowing between the legs of another person, Tad covered its head with a towel.

The line wrapped around the bird's wing was untangled to set it free. It didn't make it over the first wave, which washed it back into shore on its back. It did make it over the second one eave and flew off to sea.

I'll never forget the look on that bird's face when it washed into shore on its back. It looked pissed. At least it flew off happy.