Greg Grimes and a group of his employees at the FedEx distribution center in Kent were prepared to capture a Great Blue Heron armed with boxes to protect themselves from the juvenile bird’s sharp beak.

Then one of the employees, Grimes said, walked out and scooped the bird up in a towel without incident.

Grimes, the senior manager of the facility on 64th Avenue South, explained how his crew rescued the Blue Heron after it was likely shoved out of its nest nearby on the day of its release into a county-owned wetland just blocks away.

He said he noticed a group of crows attacking something in the parking lot just outside his office. Grimes went out to see what was going on and found the bird.

He asked employees of the animal hospital across the street what to do but they told him they only take domesticated animals. So, then he began making calls. One state agency suggested he let nature take its course. After a number of phone calls, Grimes found South Sound Critter Care which is located near Maple Valley, and spoke with Tigger Birch, a veterinary technician who helped found the nonprofit which rehabilitates and releases wild animals community members bring into them.Grimes said Birch told him there weren’t any volunteers available to get the bird but said SSCC could take the heron in if they found a way to catch it.

Birch explained to Grimes that the heron is capable of defending itself, so, Grimes and his crew “spent 15 minutes preparing for battle … but the bird wasn’t feisty.”

It was malnourished after getting pushed out of its nest, likely by its sibling, and didn’t have feathers yet so it couldn’t fly or hunt.After the bird spent about six weeks in rehab at SSCC, Birch brought it down to the FedEx distribution center then led a small group including Grimes and his daughter, to the wetland area a few blocks away July 6.

It took just a matter of moments to release the bird, which was wrapped up in a towel and placed in a pet carrier for transport from SSCC to Kent. The heron was happy to get out, spread its wings then hop a bit before flying away into the fenced-off wetland on a gorgeous, sunny afternoon.