Golden Eagle 20-001 Appears to have Died
We received a fourth map documenting the eagle’s movements Sunday morning. She hadn’t moved since the previous download, three days earlier. Usually that indicates the bird has died. We won’t know for sure until we can find her. There are no roads in the area and the terrain is very rugged.
This is the third lead poisoned eagle BMW has released with telemetry. The first, a golden eagle released in 2012, was recovered alive three weeks after release having lost 25% of his weight. He was transferred to The High Desert Museum where he is used as a flighted program bird helping to spread the word about the dangers of lead ammunition and the benefits of Hunting Lead Free!
Bald Eagle 18-006 (who had the highest lead level we have ever measured at over 800 micrograms/deciliter and miraculously survived) was the second eagle to be released with telemetry. She thrilled onlookers at McNary Wildlife Refuge as she circled over the crowd after her release. She died one week later just across the slough, within sight of the refuge visitor center.
And now we have Golden Eagle 20-001. We won’t know if she has succumbed to the secondary effects of lead poisoning until we recover her body. Until then there is always the faint possibility that she is grounded, but still alive or that she managed to remove the transmitter harness…
