My dad once landed a seagull with a fishing rod.
On Vancouver Island, we kids had a small fish on a fishhook and were casting it out and reeling it in with a fishing rod to tease the seagulls as they dived at it. Then dad took a turn and cast it way further than we did. When he jerked the rod to keep the fish from the gulls, the hook snagged on one of their legs.
That was quite a site - a panicky seagull flying, but getting reeled in by a fishing rod. I was supposed to help hold the seagull while Dad removed the hook - but I was too small and/or scared. Dad managed to reel it close, get the wings under control, and remove the hook.
Right after that a hundred seagulls flew over and evacuated their bowels. Really whitewashed that wharf too - total fluke that no-one got hit. Years later I read that that's a typical response from birds to distress to one of their members, and I could immediately confirm it with empirical evidence. I guess each Dad teaches his kids about biology in his own way.
