A BIRD of prey had to be rescued after getting caught in Tavistock Trout Fishery recently.

Owner of the fishery Abigail Underhill said she saw something stuck in the netting on one of the ponds.

'I asked my son Jack to have a look and from a distance he thought it was a duck.

'I wasn't convinced and so I took a look and realised it was a bird of prey,' said Abigail.

She enlisted the help of employee Nigel Reynolds and her 20 year old boat Humfree: 'I launched Nigel into the water and he raced to the bird and returned as fast as he could and handed it to me.

'By now we had named it Fred and a much loved Fred he was. I stood him on the grass and kept an eye on him as I worked.

'He was wobbly and one of his legs was bleeding but he didn't take his eyes off us at all.

'He was a truly lovely looking bird.'

Abigail decided that if the bird was still there after a few hours, she would ring someone for help.

'Much to my disappointment he was still there after several hours and so, along with some very helpful anglers, we caught him and put him into a cage. I tried to ring the RSPB but after six phone calls and no joy, I ended up ringing the local vet and they said I should take him in.'

The vets originally identified Fred as a Buzzard but he was later identified by a bird specialist as an Osprey.

'After a few days of rest, Fred was released back into the wild to continue his adventures,' said Abigail.