Study claims lead from bullets killing bald eagles

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Old Mossy Horns

Population increases of the majestic bird recognized as the national symbol of the United States have been suppressed by 6.3 percent for males and 4.2 percent for females, said the study by researchers at the Department of Public and Ecosystem Health at Cornell University, published in the Journal of Wildlife Management this week.
 

nccatfisher

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Let me guess, you don’t know how to use the search feature?


 

Cornbread

Eight Pointer
I’m like others I call BS and I have seen more bald eagles in the last year than I have in the last 25 years, I have also seen a healthy population of golden eagles also
 

timekiller13

Old Mossy Horns
a study aimed for a means,,, they want to ban lead just as they did in California,,,, and they will eventually,,,

then they'll go to work on banning the "non-toxic" projectiles,,,
If there is a better and safer alternative than I am all for it. We know lead is poisonous. I have no issues with lead alternatives. I mean, there are better metals/alloys for hunting purposes anyways. Look at tungsten and how it’s changed the turkey hunting world!!
 

woodmoose

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If there is a better and safer alternative than I am all for it. We know lead is poisonous. I have no issues with lead alternatives. I mean, there are better metals/alloys for hunting purposes anyways. Look at tungsten and how it’s changed the turkey hunting world!!


if it was purely on the science, yes,,, but I have my doubts on long term intent,,,
 

Moose

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One of the presentations on the study. They state the eagle population is growing but it could be 4 to 6% higher if pb was completely removed from the landscape.

Bald eagles are a cool bird to see and have around but like any specie how many is considered recovered? Same for Grizzly bears in lower 48 etc.....

They say their matrix can be used to study any other cause of death on the landscape for almost any critter. I wonder about wind power and its impact on eagles.
 

Bailey Boat

Twelve Pointer
Wonder who paid the royalties on this??? It's nothing but a redux from years back. Wonder how many birds would be alive if we banned aircraft, power lines, tall buildings and wind generators?? Hell, let's throw in tall trees to boot!! Pretty soon we'll have SOOOO many birds they'll be having mid air collisions..... Then what do we ban??
 

woodmoose

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I'll believe it's truly about the science when they address invasive plant related bacteria and bromine from man made pollution,,,,


then you have the mystery of the supposed "statistically significant" INCREASED lead poisoning cause of death AFTER the waterfowl lead ban,,,


eagles may get lead from somewhere,,,, but it's not proven it's from hunter killed animals,,, otherwise WHY the increase after the waterfowl lead ban,,, counter-intuitive,,,

maybe they've proved it and I just haven't seen it
 

Cyperry

Ten Pointer
Contributor
Lead ingestion being the primary reason for avian decline has been debunked as many times as it has been “proven.” The amount of lead one bird would have to consume at the rate at which it would be harmful is statistically improbably in itself. Does it happen, yes, is it threatening a population, no. It’s just like wolves and grizzly’s, feds set a goal on recovery, we reached it, they move the goal post. Nothing about this comes from a place of protecting wildlife. Bald eagles are no where near endangered and are only valued because of their symbolism. They are very much a glorified buzzard and fulfill the same roll in the ecosystem. I’m so tired of agendas….
 

Moose

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This could be loonacy but another thought on what could be killing bald eagles ;)

I think we should have a hunting season to reduce the loon population down to save the eagles.
 

Buffet Trout

Twelve Pointer
💊 osi (or her ilk) pass bill for study

They steer public funding ($M) to their cronies to “conduct” study

Meanwhile, they invest in opportunities that the “unknown” study results will later favor

Then they steer policy to boost their new investments

wash, rinse, repeat

Lead in carcasses killing eagles doesn’t pass the sniff test. It’s not killing buzzards or coyotes, either.
 

timber

Twelve Pointer
NOPE… theses days it’s called “Fact checking”


Agree but i look at a fact as something thats 100% or close to being true. Only true fact i know is we all going to die at some point. Most everything else labeled facts can be debated
 

CountryRN

Twelve Pointer
There are more Eagles to be found around Eastern NC than I have ever seen. They are everywhere.

The bird they need to be worried about is the invasive cormorant. They are nothing but a fishery decimating crap factory. About like a coyote with wings. More good could be done for the fish population in NC if they would open a year round season on these things with no limits.

Picture - 2 weeks ago off Neuse River. Thousands of them congregated in this creek.. Not a fish to be found anywhere near.

Screenshot_20220123-100015_Gallery.jpg
 

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wl704

Ten Pointer
Article also mentions the population in the northeast and ran for decades. Is there parity of hunting in the NE v SE that in the same time has seen Eagle populations climb? Probably more hunting in the SE... These short of confounds are not addressed, but important. Also, long known, all sorts of heavy metals were dumped by companies like GE into the rivers. NY used to even warn eating fish from lower Mohawk and advised not to eat fish from lower Hudson rivers. There is jump that the lead came from bullets...maybe I missed how that was correlated.
 

Hunterreed

Twelve Pointer
I don't see many eagles that stray away from the lakes around here. Maybe somewhere else but in the southeast mostly eat fish or ducks don't they? Not getting lead that way. Coal fired plants and ash ponds is what needs looking into
 

timber

Twelve Pointer
I don't see many eagles that stray away from the lakes around here. Maybe somewhere else but in the southeast mostly eat fish or ducks don't they? Not getting lead that way. Coal fired plants and ash ponds is what needs looking into


Around here they eat dead critters. They seem to prefer dead deer. Usually more than one eating on a carcass. Buzzards usually keep there distance when the eagles are on whatever they are eating.
 

Soilman

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Lead has been used in bullets ever since the gun was invented over 400 years ago, and eagles are not only still here, but are at higher populations than any time since DDT. Yet NOW, they are saying it's a problem? Yeah, right. I'm with Woodmoose. There's an alternate agenda at play here.
 

Soilman

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Also, most deer are shot with rifles that make pass through shots...no lead left in the animal for eagles to eat.
Deer shot with a shotgun may well have lead left in them, but by far, most are recovered by the hunter. The few that aren't, are most often balled up deep in the woods. What are the chances that an eagle is going to find those deer before coyotes, bears, foxes and other critters? Pretty darned slim would be my guess.
Then we have small game shot with a shotgun. Anything not recovered by the hunter is most often because it fell into stuff so thick the hunter could't get to it or find it. They think an eagle can get to it though? That dog ain't huntin too well.
Eagles are much more likely to go after road kill that's out in the open and they themselves more likely to be hit by an automobile while flying to or from the dead animal on the side of the road.
 
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