Can anyone tell me what the protection status is of our national bird? (bald eagle) I just had one swoop down and attack one of my ducks (a hen in the pond.) I'm telling you, I nearly broke my fist banging on the wall and screaming until I could get out the door. I succeeded in scaring her (him?) away (she made two passes), but my duck got wounded. I waded into the pond and got my duck, and hid her away in the ram barn. Not sure if she's mortally wounded...I think perhaps not. I hope not, anyway.

I gathered up the chickens and locked them in the poultry yard (at least we have overhead wires from the center roof of the henhouse to the perimeter of the fence all around. And I just dare her to come after one of the geese (Toulouse.)They free range in the pasture with the sheep.

The *#()(*%)() eagle is still sitting in a tree about 1000 yards away.

I love wildlife, and I love eagles, and I would blast this one out of the tree with my shotgun, given half the chance! I think they are still protected, though!

Could someone please confirm? I'd appreciate it! In the meantime, I'm pouring myself a stiff drink....

-- sheepish (WA) (rborgo@gte.net), March 19, 2001

Answers

Still protected! In fact, it's a Federal offense to even have possession of an Eagle feather. Owls incidently are also protected. One of the people Clinton pardoned was in prision for giving a Dream Catcher to someone and it contained an Eagle feather. Eagles rule!

JackD

-- JackD (jdenterprises@centurytel.net), March 19, 2001.

Oh-oh....then I guess I had better go out and make sure that the eagle didn't accidentally drop a feather in the scuffle!

Thanks for the info.

-- sheepish (WA) (rborgo@gte.net), March 19, 2001.

Harming a bald eagle is something you do not even want to joke about. The Endangered Species Act holds penalties up to a $250,000 fine and two years in jail. When it come to Bald eagles the government has a track record of throwing the book at people.

-- David in NH (grayfoxfarm@mcttelecom.com), March 19, 2001.

Seems hard to believe they are still so protected; we are crawling with em around here. Just today, in town yet, my girls and I were sitting by the lake watching six of them swooping around, dancing with crows....

-- Earthmama (earthmama48@yahoo.com), March 19, 2001.

Sheepish: For Gods sake grab a camera and start snappin!! Then post on the picture web site. If I don't see a picture soon I'm tellin the feds you've got a feather!! Hee Hee.....Kirk

-- Kirk Davis (kirkay@yahoo.com), March 19, 2001.

David, I wasn't joking! We just have tons of eagles around here, and I had heard that they were being considered for taking off the endangered species list. I wasn't sure what had happened.

Around here, we also have the spotted owl, which is on the endangered species list, and others...I think a murrelet, and hmmm....I forget. I used to keep a life-list as a birder, and I love wild birds. But I would defend my livestock if I had to. (Okay, ducks aren't sheep, but...) Cougars are around here, too. I think it's illegal to actively hunt them, but you can defend yourself and your livestock if attacked. Different for eagles, I would say!

But thanks for the heads-up!

-- sheepish (WA) (rborgo@gte.net), March 19, 2001.

I hope I made myself clear. I am NOT going to harm any bald eagles! I will just have to lock the ducks and chickens up until this particular eagle finds a better hunting area. I have had redtail hawks and barn owls attack before, but this is the first time I have had an eagle do so. (Just fyi, they are HUGE!!!!!!!) (And sheesh...there's lakes and a whole sound around here...gotta be more opportunities elsewhere!)

I think I'll get an airhorn and keep it by the kitchen door. At least it would be louder than my attempts to scare anything away by fist- pounding and screaming! (I'm sure the neighbors were ready to call the cops...) And btw, my hand hurts!!

Kirk, yeah, right.....

-- sheepish (WA) (rborgo@gte.net), March 19, 2001.

Glad you asked before you ended up making alot of us travel to where you are to get you out of jail..I cannot afford the trip! All of the eagles I have ever seen are scavengers, although I have heard tales of them carrying off tiny lambs and in California about ten years ago, some guy had to watch his chiuahua go airborne. Neil and I used to crawl through undergrowth along creekbeds to see them in NJ and Delaware, then we moved to PA and they were so numerous it got somewhat boring (somewhat) after awhile..now I miss them..supposedly they are here in NE Alabama as well, but have not seen any yet.How about firing off a nice shotgun in the opposite direction from the eagle? Perhaps he will get the message that this is not a good place to hang out...hmmm, on the other hand, if the eagle shows up DOA, neighbors may remember the shots fired from your place. OK, how about notifying your local forest ranger or other uniformed person..maybe they would come out and relocate the bird...or..maybe they would declare your property a bird sanctuary...hmmmm, no good. Well Sheepish, I am fresh out of ideas, but remember, I cannot come to your rescue..it's Springtime here..LOL God bless...

-- Lesley (martchas@bellsouth.net), March 19, 2001.

I THINK maybe eagles have been upgraded from endangered to threatened status, but it still is not legal to shoot them.

Many feathers of various native birds are illegal to possess (with the exception of some [?] Native Americans). If you see a shed feather or find a dead bird and you don't know for a fact that it is legal to possess that feather, better just leave it there.

-- Joy F (So.Central Wisconsin) (CatFlunky@excite.com), March 20, 2001.

How big is your duck pen? Can you put some chicken fence over the top? That should discourage the eagle and other birds of prey. Good luck!

-- David Cripe (cripeland@aol.com), March 20, 2001.

I have had problems with bald eagles too. I keep brown chickens the white ones are just too easy to pick off, but I was thinking about ducks and geese for my pond this year. Neighbour has lost cats to Eagles over the years, I always blamed the cayotes until I seen an eagle pick up a rabbit. They are illegal to shoot here too -Nova Scotia Canada.

-- Terri in NS (terri@tallships.ca), March 20, 2001.

You're luck you have so many in your area, at last report there is less than 5,800 breeding pairs in the US. In NH, we only have 3 known pairs.

-- David in NH (grayfoxfarm@mcttelecom.com), March 20, 2001.

have alot of golden and bald eagle around here. And its NOT illegel to own a eagle feather,, it IS liiegal to buy or sell them,, any part of an eagle for that matter. If you find one out in the woods,, you can keep it,,just dont sell it

-- Stan (sopal@net-port.com), March 20, 2001.

Hen ate a little corn this morning. She had two drakes protecting her all night. Still not sure of the outcome. Didn't see the eagle this morning, either.

Thanks for all your replies! I'll let you know if I see that big bird again. I can't help but remark how truly beautiful they are. And huge! That bird was as big as I am (okay, not really... But the wingspan was as wide as my arm span for sure!)

Y'all have a good day. Off to work now....

-- sheepish (WA) (rborgo@gte.net), March 20, 2001.

Stan, Sorry to disagree but I did a search for the Eagle Protection act and came up with the following. "The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing that the bald eagle be declared fully recovered, with final action due in July 2000. Even if the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removes the bald eagle from the threatened and endangered species list, it will still be protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. The Bald Eagle Protection Act prohibits the take, transport, sale, barter, trade, import and export, and possession of eagles, making it illegal for anyone to collect eagles and eagle parts, nests, or eggs without a permit. Possession of a feather or other body part, is a felony with a fine of up to $10,000 and/or imprisonment, although federally recognized Native Americans are able to possess these emblems which are traditional in their culture. A decision was expected on the Fourth of July, but it will be delayed until the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service figures out how they will manage the species once it is taken off the list. (As of 3/4/2001 the bald eagle is still listed as threatened.)"

That's more money than I have available, in fact, the next time I see one around the property I think I'll get the leaf blower out and sweep the yard clean!

JackD

-- JackD (jdenterprises@centurytel.net), March 20, 2001.

Here locally last week someone shot 2 bald eagles. The local conservation officers are beating the bushes looking for the culprit so they can fine him $100,000. There is a really interesting sidebar to this. Seems a good samaritan found the birds shortly after they were shot. One was dead and one died shortly thereafter. Well they were taken to a vet to be examined. They were declared officially dead and left out on a table overnight. The vet was going to freeze it that night but decided against it. Rigor mortise had already set in. When the vet's assistant came in the next day and went to do the autopsy one of them started breathing! After a couple of hours it was standing up. Now they think it won't make a full recovery but that it will survive. The vet was quoted as saying(quite vehemently I might add) "I know dead and that was dead!!" It made the quote of the week in the Springfield paper. The vet is still trying to explain what happened.

-- Amanda in Mo (aseley@townsqr.com), March 20, 2001.

JackD,, if you find a feather on your property, not state or federal land,, its yours,, to keep. You can give it away,, but NOT sell it. All found birds of prey must be turned in or reported to the DNR. Im only talking from my own experiecnces in Mich.

-- Stan (sopal@net-port.com), March 20, 2001.

Be careful. Bald Eagles are protected... Private land is not a guarantee. Also, if you are not of Native American heritage, it is a federal offense to be in possession of feathers or any parts of Bald Eagles (Goldens, too).

I understand what its like to lose birds you've purchased and raised all their lives... Some even become like pets. But, these are the choices you made... Where you live, what you raise. The Eagle didn't ask you to live there.

-- Sue Diederich (willow666@rocketmail.com), March 20, 2001.

Sorry... Didn't mean to be so mean in the last post... Its something else here... They shoot anything that moves. And, FS just decided 75 bears would be fair game - out of season, and with no regard to picking up the carcasses... Sort of a touchy subject. I am sorry.

We have regular bear and cougar seasons here... But, cougars are getting the same treatment as the bears. They want extras gone, and if they do it, they will leave the bodies rot where they are.

Again... sorry about that last post. I really didn't mean to accuse.

-- Sue Diederich (willow666@rocketmail.com), March 20, 2001.

A raptor's prey is ANYTHING it can carry off the ground, so you must be smarter than the raptor, don't blame it for getting your animals, blame yourself for allowing it to happen. This simple truth applies to all predatory animal attacks, don't blame Mother Nature for Her actions, respect Her and Her power, protect your animals by separating them physically (fence, wire, bird netting, whatever) from the predatory animals/raptors that prey on your stock.

Eagles and other raptors are a true wonder of Mother Earth, appreciate their beauty, and respect their power.

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), March 20, 2001.

Yeah, the eagle needs to eat, too. It has about a dozen lakes within 10 miles of here, and a huge body of salt water not much further away than that. Typically, eagles are scavengers..they eat dead or dying animals. Perhaps b/c the salmon are being decimated by record low water levels, they might have less to eat. I don't know. They don't have to eat my ducks, to my way of thinking, though.

Coyotes have to eat, too. So do raccons and possums. I close up the henhouse when I need to, to protect my chickens. I fenced my property to protect my lambs from predators. If a big cat got in and killed one of my lambs, I would be mad as hell and looking out to make sure the cougar didn't chose to come back. I like cougars, too. I respect and admire them. I don't want them to eat my livestock.

This place has been a farm for over 80 years. It's not like we just encroached on the woods.

btw, the duck died. She had been sitting on a clutch of eggs, too. Now I wish the eagle had finished her straight off, and had a meal out of her. But as a person with livestock in my care, I acted the way I should have. I don't know too many people who would have just sat back and watched and thought "how noble."

-- sheepish (WA) (rborgo@gte.net), March 20, 2001.

Annie, I am not blaming the eagle. It's the circle of life, and I get that. And I'm not really blaming myself, either. I guess I'm just raising my fist to the fates. "Why me?" or more appropriately, "Why her?" and the anger that I feel is what I am responding to.

When I lose an animal to illness, I can feel the same way. And I don't blame God, either. I just get upset for a while and then I get over it.

-- sheepish (WA) (rborgo@gte.net), March 20, 2001.

I lost one of my favourite ducks, one of our original two that we'd raised from babies to an owl. It was a very unhappy thing.

Can you put the eggs under another bird? Our ducks would accept new eggs without batting an eye, and one of my banties incubated and successfully raised duck eggs (even took them swimming. She was confused as to being a chicken herself. She'd been raised by ducks!), or you could try incubating them artificially.

The idea of putting up poles with chicken wire on it over the pond is intriguing. Maybe not esoterically pleasing, and you might end up with a very preturbed raptor trying to extracate itself from the wire until they learn that your pond is not an all you can eat buffet. You would probably do well to call up your local game warden before putting this up and check out with them what the rules are if the eagle persists in this and happens to crash into the wire and get killed. Just to cover yourself.

-- julie f. (rumplefrogskin@excite.com), March 21, 2001.

Darn. I forgot to mention that in recent years my dogs have taken a personal interest in getting the eagles out of our trees. They were out barking vigorously, so I came out to see what was the matter and started up two adult Bald Eagles and their three juveniles. I have also heard of some llamas that patrol even against raptors.

-- julie f. (rumplefrogskin@excite.com), March 21, 2001.

Sheepish, I diidn't mean to be unkind or cruel, I feel the same way when I lose an animal, especially when it was something I could have prevented (I feel I must be Superfarmer and be able to protect my stock at all times and in all ways, however unrealistic this may be!!!).

Mother Nature teachs hard lessons, and whether we like it, or not, She is in control.

You are right about the reduction in the salmon population being the real reason behind why the eagle was hunting in your barnyard, we do ourselves no favors when we screw up the way Nature wants things to be, and end up getting bit in the *** when stuff doesn't work out the way we want it to.

I feel your pain in losing your duck, losing a pet or farm animal hurts the same to me also.

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), March 21, 2001.

Had another duck attack by the eagle yesterday. I had them rounded up since the last event, and they had been out and about for only half a day before she showed up again. This time the duck won....just lost a few feathers around the neck. The eagle then flew up and sat in a tree directly above me (20 feet up?) and just stared. It was an interesting few moments! My husband then came out and scared her off (guess his louder voice and bigger flapping arms are better than mine for the task!)

Folks at church were mentioning that they have been seeing more eagles than usual these days. I'm going to run some string lines over the pond and see if that helps keep her away.

Never a dull moment around here.....all the concerns for the sheep and goats now, and airborne attacks by raptors....sheesh. Think I'll stick to vegetables or something....

-- sheepish (WA) (rborgo@gte.net), March 26, 2001.

Good idea to check out the statute in detail. I am not sure of the actual details myself, but remember a few years ago when a local guy went broke trying to raise pasture pigs, and kept losing his babies to eagles (lived along the river),and was disallowed by the DNR from even trying to keep eagles away from his pastures by use of a radio!!

-- Earthmama (earthmama48@yahoo.com), March 26, 2001.