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Thread: Hunters blamed again?

  1. #11
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Duncan
    Posts
    2,983

    Re: Hunters blamed again?

    Another point...Lead shot has be banned for waterfowl hunting for a number of years and upland use is extremely spread out. Now, all of a sudden we have 12 cases in a concentrated area and automatically lead shot is the culprit?

    Something smells here.
    I completely agree! I think it is irresponsible to suggest a suspected source without any solid proof. I am not saying lead shot is not to blame but there are plenty of other potential sources of lead contamination that should be ruled out as well. They should look to see if there are any industrial sources for lead contamination in the area as well as testing marine life to see if it is bio accumulating. At least they could perform autopsies to see if there is lead shot in their systems before saying lead shot is to blame. I know here on the Island Bald Eagle populations are very healthy. I've lost two my chickens to them this spring, which leads me to suspect it is a localized problem.


    I'm curious to know what this "device" is that they are using for testing the lead. I thought you had to do blood tests to get proper lead level readings. That is how it is done in humans, why would animals be any different?
    The device they bought is probably a thing that tests for lead levels in blood.

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Posts
    990

    Re: Hunters blamed again?

    Was really shocked when I seen this again ,regurgitated junk from the 70"s .There are many toxins still in use today and eagles are carrion eaters where do they hunt the most? Off the burns bog dump who is the main feeder and therefore prey of the eagles? herring gulls ,.also where is one of the larger composting yards located ?Delta across from the dump ,think if they want to find some answers they should be looking there and not bringing up lead shot that was banned 25 years ago.I used to hunt crows in the dump back in the 70"s (yes had written permission) and the gulls that I seen in various stages of death was quite staggering.Those eagles that are congregated around are not just enjoying the weather.

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    sadly, for now, the LM. Soon, Horsefly!!
    Posts
    4,486

    Re: Hunters blamed again?

    Here's a thought....

    Delta and Richmond are home to large composting facilities. Composting operations are taking in more and more municipal food waste (diverted from landfills). Yard waste, mostly due to contamination can, and often does, contain high levels of lead. When food and yard waste are combined, lead finds it way into food waste. Poor vector attraction reduction practices can easily cause high levels of lead in rats, seagulls, etc...

    Few if any people glance at a dead or dying rat, but if it's a dead or dying eagle....different response.

    Food waste attracts rats, seagulls, mice, crows etc... Eagles/raptors feast on them (especially during winter and cold springs when conventional food sources are scarce) and are becoming more prevelant at composting facilities because of the inclusion of food waste in the waste stream.

    Composting is a wonderful thing when done right, and I'm not suggesting it shouldn't be done, or that it is the cause of this. Just throwing out some food for thought (pun intended).

    Always easy to blame hunters, especially in a "news" article rife with "could be" and "may be".....


    http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/britis...lity-1.3960676

    https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyl...wrJ/story.html

    http://www.newmoa.org/events/docs/53...ostNov2012.pdf

  4. #14
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Changing diapers
    Posts
    1,099

    Re: Hunters blamed again?

    What another bunch of BS with no solid evidence to prove. Naw, couldn't be any of the toxic producing reasons already mentioned in this thread, has got to be the 0.001 ppm of lead shot left over from the 70's that killed all 12 Eagles. What a bunch of crap. I frequently (as in 50plus times per waterfowl season) hunted the inner dyke (not on Sundays though lmao) throughout my time in the LML and have seen the amount of dumping of household items and chemicals in the small streams and bogs that make up the area in question, none of that could have contributed, no way?? Maybe the golf course at Kings Links there went a little crazy on the mosquito control this year and contaminated things - no not possible. It must be the leftover from Grampa shooting ducks back in the day, give your head a shake. Can't wait for some solid proof here, until then count me disgusted!
    Links

  5. #15
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    4,594

    Re: Hunters blamed again?

    Quote Originally Posted by scoutlt1 View Post
    Here's a thought....

    Delta and Richmond are home to large composting facilities. Composting operations are taking in more and more municipal food waste (diverted from landfills). Yard waste, mostly due to contamination can, and often does, contain high levels of lead. When food and yard waste are combined, lead finds it way into food waste. Poor vector attraction reduction practices can easily cause high levels of lead in rats, seagulls, etc...

    Few if any people glance at a dead or dying rat, but if it's a dead or dying eagle....different response.

    Food waste attracts rats, seagulls, mice, crows etc... Eagles/raptors feast on them (especially during winter and cold springs when conventional food sources are scarce) and are becoming more prevelant at composting facilities because of the inclusion of food waste in the waste stream.

    Composting is a wonderful thing when done right, and I'm not suggesting it shouldn't be done, or that it is the cause of this. Just throwing out some food for thought (pun intended).

    Always easy to blame hunters, especially in a "news" article rife with "could be" and "may be".....


    http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/britis...lity-1.3960676

    https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyl...wrJ/story.html

    http://www.newmoa.org/events/docs/53...ostNov2012.pdf
    You beat me to it. They've had a huge increase in eagle numbers at the composting site just up the highway from Bass Pro. I'd seriously consider this site a possible contamination area that these eagles may be ingesting from. To say it could be from lead shot which was banned a couple decades ago is a far reach to point a finger. But what else do you expect from the media these days.
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