I was hiking down a nearby gulch after work last week, when I saw what I thought were the fingers of a leather glove sticking up through the snow. When I took a closer look, I realized they were raptor talons.
I dug down through the snow and ice and uncovered an eagle. This was next to a power pole. I determined the eagle had been electrocuted when his/her wings crossed two of the wires. The power pole even had a raptor guard on it, but that didn’t save this eagle.
I later confirmed that it was a juvenile bald eagle, a little over a year old. It was a meaningless death that left me sad.
Power pole where the eagle was killed, with trianglular raptor guard on the left.
That is just horrific.
What ended up happening to the body? Did you leave it for the scavengers or was it given to the DOW? Sorry, just kind of curious.
I moved the body off-trail and notified a researcher at CSU who studies raptor/power line deaths, and gave him photos and the coordinates. He didn’t say specifically what he was going to do. So the eagle is available to him for a necropsy or for the scavengers.
That is so sad. 🙁
yeah, it made me feel pretty hopeless.
The picture hurts. And yet, it’s so beautifully captured. Dammit, Randy! Now I need a tissue.
The photo is peaceful, sad and majestic all rolled into one.
“he photo is peaceful, sad and majestic all rolled into one.”
Exactly, that.
That is really sad! They are such beautiful birds.