Late this afternoon (March 1) while I was in Lake Tansi rescuing a coot
tangled in a fishing line, I looked up and saw a Bald Eagle heading our way
(I assumed it wasn't coming for me, though in retrospect I guess I was
pretty vulnerable, too).
A family friend with a house on Lake Tansi in Cumberland County called and
said that a coot had been entangled in a fishing line for two days about 3
feet beyond the end of their dock. So I drove over to the lake, taking a
pole with a hook along with a pair of water shoes, thinking I might have to
step in the water. However, when I got there, all I saw was a coot calmly
swimming about 40 feet out. When it flushed, I could see that a foot was
caught on a fishing line, but that the coot had a 5-10 foot radius in which
it could swim. I waded out, but at 4 feet I realized it would be over my
head where the coot was. No boats were in sight, but my friend did have a
life jacket which I donned and went back out, taking a pair of scissors.
Once I started swimming, the coot dove for about 30 seconds (I may have had
a distorted sense of time out there), but I knew the bird eventually had to
come up nearby. I found and grabbed the fishing line (which had been
anchored to the bottom) and swam back in while pulling the coot (that's when
the eagle got interested). Then I grabbed the coot and walked ashore,
untangled and cut the line, and released the bird, making sure the eagle
wasn't in sight.
The air temperature was 53 degrees; don't know about the water temperature,
but wearing lots of clothes really helps. Regardless, Lake Tansi is
breath-taking at this time of year!
Ed LeGrand
Cumberland Co., TN
