Santa Barbara City firefighters rescued a bird entangled in fishing line and tree branches at Shoreline Park on Sunday.
Concerned people called for help and a crew with a ladder truck arrived at the oceanside park.
Using the aerial ladder, the firefighters safely reached the cormorant and were able to unwrap it, letting it free.
“Thanks to the teamwork of E76, T171, and the Park Rangers,” the Santa Barbara Fire Department stated.

Also Read
- 10 Best Winter Camping Spots in California
- Santa Barbara Public Library Receives $10,000 Gift From Carnegie Corporation
- Three Ecuadorian Cooks Seek Community Support After Losing Belongings in Goleta House Fire
- Old Town Goleta Holiday Parade Details For Saturday, December 6
- 2025 Milpas Street Holiday Parade Cancelled due to Immigration Raid Fears















Thanks to the firefighters for their great kindness to that poor bird.
I was there. The trapped bird was a cormorant, not a seagull as the photo confirms. They normally roost in the same eucalyptus tree. Nice to see SBFD using the ladder truck for more than runs to Trader Joe’s & Starbucks.
are you capable of saying anything positive? runs to trader joe’s and starbucks? that is an obnoxious statement. rude. 100%. Better hope you never need them, they may ignore you and head to starbucks.
While my sarcasm obviously has eluded you I think it’s interesting you would suggest that a city agency wouldn’t respond to a call for service if someone made a joke about them. I’m certain that wouldn’t happen, they are a professional agency.
Your sarcasm wasn’t missed – it was just pointed out as totally inappropriate.
But, we’ve all come to expect absolute nonsense in your comments.
So… you want firefighter, police, and other emergency crews to *not* drive their trucks or vehicles to do things while on a 24/48/72 hour non-stop shift? Let your house catch fire during breakfast/lunch/dinner and no way to get back to their emergency vehicles in a timely fashion in order to perform a rapid response.
This is just a rediculous reply.
Apologies. Meant for zippy. And sarcasm doesn’t work well in text. Of course, you could use “/sarcasm” to distinguish it.
I’m grateful to the agencies for saving the bird and I appreciate the close-up photo.
along the same lines, Wildlife Care Network has had an influx of seabirds and are asking for help, if you can (I gave more to the Food Bank):
“Winter Seabird Season is here!
Since Halloween, SBWCN has had an influx of 55 seabird and shorebird patients including Western Grebes, Eared Grebes, Northern Fulmars, Brown Pelicans, and and an American Coot. These birds require immediate warmth and hydration. Many require nutritional tubing every 90 minutes of a diet called “fish slurry”, which is a blended mixture of fish, supplements, and vitamins. All patients receive thorough exams and medications as needed.
In total SBWCN has received 82 animals in the last 4 days of 20 different species. SBWCN is providing professional care to the animals who arrive. We are doing our best to save them and we need your support to provide the staffing, food, medicine, and treatments they need.
SBWCN just concluded a very taxing baby season, which was over 3,000 animals. Our overall intakes for the year are up 9.12% from this time last year (4,222 patients and counting).
Our network is a safety net for these animals, please donate today to help us continue making a difference for wildlife.”
Yes, it was a cormorant, but regardless rescuing the bird was a humane and caring thing to do. Thank you to SB City Fire, Park Rangers and all involved – and also to those who care for our wildlife on a daily basis (such as Wildlife Care Network.)
Cormorants will dive pretty deep to go get fish, in this case likely for a fisherman’s hooked bait. They can be a real hassle for bait danglers not paying enough attention.