Bird watcher rescued from ice in Wauconda

A bird watcher was rescued after falling into Bangs Lake in Wauconda Sunday morning, police and fire officials said.

Wauconda police Sgt. Tony Jacobson said the incident occurred at 7:49 a.m. on the lake behind the 100 block of East Mill Street.

Jacobson said a man who was clearing snow nearby heard someone yelling on the lake for help. He notified another man shoveling, who then went to the scene and pulled the bird watcher from the lake with a cable, authorities said.

According to the Wauconda Fire District, the man was out either watching birds or trying to recover them from the ice.

By the time police arrived, the man was out of the water.

“He had probably been in the water 10 minutes or so,” Jacobson said.

Firefighters were called to the scene, and the man was taken to Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital. His injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.