Interesting article on lead poisoning and the Eagle population

I absolutely love eagles and tend to read everything I can about them.

Lead poisoning hits home

snippets of article:

According to Dr. Luis Cruz-Martinez, a veterinary resident at the Raptor Center, the facility as of Wednesday had received 74 bald eagles this year. Of those eagles, 23 tested positive for lead. There were three positive cases in January, one in February and one in March.

The remaining 18, he said, have come in since Nov. 10 — two days after Minnesota’s firearms deer season opener.

 ...........

Cruz-Martinez said 30 milligrams of lead can kill a bald eagle, and smaller amounts can hamper respiratory and neurological functions. An aspirin, by comparison, weighs 325 milligrams.

.............

“Basically, what we’re using to hunt animals, to hunt game, is affecting a lot of other wildlife species, and now that lead was found in venison, it’s really very striking the potential danger for people.



“All this research in birds has been telling us the problem,” he said. “Now that it’s gotten into the human (food) chain is when we have our best opportunity to work against this poison to prevent more wildlife mortality and prevent a human disease.”

.............

Cruz-Martinez said the Raptor Center has applied for a grant to embark on what he calls an “interdisciplinary approach” to the lead issue. The project, he said, will look at the social and cultural aspects of hunting, the willingness of hunters to switch to nontoxic ammunition and a campaign to educate the public about the potential dangers of lead to humans, animals and the environment.

"N" is for...

Nest

Today's photos are of an Eagle's nest. I was about 100 yards away. It was rainy and I didn't want to walk in a wet marsh. I also didn't want to annoy the birds by getting too close. Better zoom is one reason I want an SLR camera. (I'm taking recommendations).

I took these photos last June on the way to my niece's graduation. The eagles migrated during this past winter, which was new for this pair. They have not returned yet. While we have several in this area, I am hoping this pair returns. I've grown fond of watching them over the past several years.



More information about American Eagles can be found here:

• Wikipedia's Eagle entry
• American Bald Eagle Information
  
• All About Birds (Cornell Univ)
  
• American Eagle (Rolf Hickor Photography)
  
• American Eagle Foundation

I thank all who have stopped by and left comments. I do appreciate it. Be sure to check out Quilldancer to find more participants of the Alphabet project.