The American Bald Eagle Foundation is awaiting lab results to determine what killed a sick bald eagle discovered on River Road on April 5.
The small, mature bird had “green stuff oozing from its beak” and was repeatedly vomiting when residents John Brower and Kathy Friedle discovered it about a half mile west of the road’s intersection with Mud Bay Road.
“We took samples of just about everything we could get our hands on before we froze him and sent him off to the eagle repository,” said Chloe Goodson, raptor curator for the foundation. They took samples from the bird’s crop, intestines and gastro-intestinal tract, Goodson said.
Some early theories include that the eagle ingested lead or rodent poison, Goodson said. “At this point, they’re just theories based on educated guesses and symptoms. We can’t say anything for certain. We should know more in about a month.”
In an email, Brower said the eagle was sitting in a stream of water, hardly moving when he and Friedle came across it. It hopped up on a log, but didn’t fly. “The eagle was throwing up several times and he was obviously gagging on something (and) appearing to be having trouble breathing.”
The eagle was one of three birds in distress brought to the foundation in the past month. The two others were surf scoters that died after rescue. One, recovered at the boat harbor, had lost its feather waterproofing. Another was found by Canadian visitors “rolling around in waves.”