Woman rescuing bird from Walled Lake needs rescuing

Walled Lake — A 30-year-old Redford Township woman's effort to save a bird that fell into an Oakland County lake Saturday ended with the woman herself being rescued, police said.

The woman's near-drowning took place about 2:20 p.m. Saturday on Walled Lake, which is in Walled Lake.

The marine unit of the Oakland County Sheriff's Office was patrolling the lake when a boater notified deputies that a passenger was "having a hard time staying afloat," according to a statement from the sheriff's office.

Deputies found the woman swimming on her back, but lost sight of her a number of times as she struggled to stay above water.

"She began yelling for help and was obviously fatigued," the statement said.

Deputies threw the woman a flotation device and a rope, and pulled her to safety.

After refusing medical treatment, the woman said she'd gone into the water to rescue a small bird, but that the water was "unexpectedly very cold," and she became fatigued very quickly. 

The woman was returned to the pontoon boat.