Police from Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources say two bald eagles were shot in separate incidents in Montgomery County on Dec 25, WUSA-9 reports out of Washington.
Eagle #1 was found dead in a field that adjoins Georgia Avenue and Bordley Road in Brookville, Md. It appeared the eagle was feeding on a deer carcass at the time of the shooting.
Eagle #2 was found wounded near a residence on Deakins Lane in Darnestown, Md., and x rays revealed bird pellets (bird shot) in the animal. The eagle later died from its injuries.
The bald eagle was removed from the national Endangered Species List in 2007 and from Maryland’s list in 2010, but shooting bald eagles still requires a special permit from the US Department of the Interior. Shooting a bald eagle in the US without such a permit carries a maximum fine of $5,000 plus one year in prison.
Police are still looking for clues and ask for the public’s help. Call them at (410) 260-8888 if you know anything about these two incidents.
The Chicago Tribune reports that Illinois is second only to Alaska in terms of the number of bald eagles that spend the winter in the state. Quoting now:
… now the state has become second to Alaska in the U.S. in wintering bald eagle population, experts say. And this year’s frigid conditions, combined with the steadily growing population of eagles throughout North America, are bringing the birds into Illinois in greater numbers.
“The colder it is and the longer it stays cold, the more eagles you see,” said John Knoble, an Army Corps of Engineers supervisory park ranger in charge of natural resource management for more than 300 miles of the Mississippi River from Wisconsin to Missouri.