Someone is Killing Bald Eagles Around America's Capital

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The food supply is among the more striking views shown by the bald eagle webcam at the National Arboretum. Two newly hatched eaglets require lots of nutrition, and mom and dad, named "Mr. President" and "First Lady," have been keeping the nest stocked with fresh fish.

It's stomach-turning, but a scene one would expect to find in nature: majestic birds feeding for survival.

Not far away, though, is this: the site where more than a dozen bald eagles were killed last month. Authorities won't say much about the deaths other than it wasn't due to natural causes and a reward for leads has been offered in the case.

Four more bald eagles were found dead in Delaware over the weekend. In that case, the cause has not been determined.

13 Killed and New Deaths

On the morning of Feb. 20, a local resident found several dead eagles in a field in Federalsburg, Md. Investigators would eventually find 13 bald eagles. No trauma was evident at the scene, but investigators determined last week that the eagles had not died of natural causes.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agents are withholding further information publicly because of the ongoing investigation, spokeswoman Catherine Hibbard tells Patch. A $25,000 reward has been offered in the case.

A state away, federal investigators were working Monday with Delaware Fish and Wildlife agents after four new bald eagle deaths were reported Sunday, according to Hibbard.

"We will send the eagle carcasses to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Forensics Laboratory to determine the cause of death," Hibbard tells Patch.

After first finding one dead bald eagle in the Dagsboro area, Delaware authorities say they found three more disoriented bald eagles in a farm field not far away. They died later. Two other eagles are being treated.

In announcing the investigation, Delaware officials noted that other bald eagles were seen fleeing the area and were noticeably disoriented.

“We’re also asking people not to attempt to capture or handle any eagles they encounter on the ground," Sgt. John McDerby, Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police said in a statement. "These eagles will already be distressed, so handling them could cause additional injuries to the eagle and possibly to anyone trying to help them.”

Hibbard encouraged residents in the region to take a similar approach — being alert for unusual eagle behavior and contacting authorities rather than approaching the birds.

Bald eagles are protected by the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Harming an eagle can bring fines, under these acts are $100,000 and $15,000, respectively. A prison sentence is possible: up to 1 year in each case.

Webcam Egg Excitement

Less than a week before the first bald eagles were found dead in Maryland, the USDA had announced a second egg had been laid at a bald eagle nest at the National Arboretum in Washington, D.C.

The nest itself is a unique find — it'd been more than a half-century since the last nest at the arboretum.

After the pair of eagles had nested at the same tree and successfully produced an eaglet last spring, the USDA partnered with the non-profit American Eagle Foundation to install unobtrusive webcams at the site prior to the eagles' return in October 2015 to begin preparing their nest.

Last Wednesday, the world became obsessed with these two bald eagles and their two small eggs after the first egg began cracking. The eaglet came out of its shell Friday morning and the fuzzy second eaglet was feeding by Sunday.

The cuteness displayed on the webcams became a new March obsession. "Overwhelmed by all the attention and a bit camera-shy!" the arboretum's Twitter account said with a picture of the first eaglet. "Will continue to rest and wriggle."

Classrooms were watching the webcam to learn, while the rest of use were putting off our NCAA fascination while we 'cooed' and 'awed' at the site of nature in its natural setting.

A Sad Injury

And there is another bald eagle story in the region catching the attention of activists. Unlike the mysterious farmland deaths, "Trust" faced a more suburban adversary.

The bald eagle was likely struck by a car in the Potomac area before it was rescued March 3. The Owl Moon Raptor Center says that Trust was found near a roadside deer carcass and it is assumed that the eagle was struck by a car while feeding.

The eagle has a fractured bone in its left shoulder, possibly preventing it from ever flying again. The injury is currently immobilized in an attempt to repair it.

Trust also suffered trauma to cranial air sacs from the impact with the car. But a message at the Owl Moon Raptor Center has noted positive signs the bird in healing, including feeding on venison and quail.

And, yes, feeding on fresh fish.