Lead poisoning a problem for eagles, hawks

Hunters usually are good stewards of the environment.

But unknowingly, the practice of their sport has caused problems over the years for raptors such as bald eagles and hawks.

During just a few short weeks this year, two bald eagles and one red-tailed hawk have been brought to the Wildlife Center of Virginia in Waynesboro - each suffering from toxic levels of lead poisoning.

One of the eagles, a bird from Chesapeake, died Thursday.

"We kind of were expecting this," said Ed Clark, the center's president and co-founder. "We did everything we could, but its levels of lead were just too high.

"We had the bird on treatment for lead poisoning and in an oxygen chamber."

Eagles and hawks also are hunters, but more often than not, they'll settle for something that's already dead.

Often that source of food is a bird, rabbit or squirrel that has been shot by a hunter and not found after the kill.

The hawks and eagles feed on the carcass and ingest the lead shot.

It also happens when deer hunters field-dress a kill, leaving behind guts often containing lead shot.

"We, as hunters, promote ethical hunting and being good stewards of the outdoors," said Clark, himself a hunter. "I was a hunter safety instructor at one time, and we taught that a shooter is responsible for his bullet from the time it leaves his gun.

"But nobody thought about the shot and the bullets that were left behind. Once the bullet stops traveling, that was it."

Clark said people learn as they go and usually fix problems as they come to light. He's hoping for the same with this situation.

"DDT was a miracle chemical until we realized what it was doing to the eggs of birds," he said. "So we stopped using it, and the birds affected by it are coming back in great numbers.

"We have to do the same thing with lead shot. This is a new problem, one we are just becoming more aware of, and one that we can 100 percent fix now that we know."

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, more than 10 million birds from 75 species die from lead poisoning every year. Hunters inadvertently leave 3,000 tons of lead shot in the environment each year. Another 80,000 pounds is left at shooting ranges. And fishermen annually leave 4,000 pounds of lead weights and lures in the country's lakes and rivers.

"Easy fixes," Clark said. "There are alternatives to lead ammunition that can be used. Yes, some of it is more expensive, but an extra 10 or 15 bucks isn't that big a deal compared to the money spent on hunting and shooting."

Some states have started to ban the use of lead ammunition for certain hunting. And the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service prohibits the use of lead shot when hunting migratory birds and waterfowl in waterfowl protection areas.

BOAT REGISTRATION

A partnership between the Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles and the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries for registering boats and trailers has been formed by the state.

Boats and trailers now can be registered at either agency.

Outdoorsmen and women also will be able to purchase fishing and hunting licenses at the DMV.

RESULTS

From the Bob's Fishing Hole New Year's Eve largemouth bass fishing tournament: 1. Jeremy Gatewood of Virginia Beach and Charlie Reed of Gloucester, 5 fish limit, 8.4 total pounds; 2. Jim Leavis of Virginia Beach, 3 fish, 4.97; 3. Ken Kippler and Mike Hildenbrandt, both of Virginia Beach, 2 fish, 3.16.

From the Within Limits largemouth bass fishing tournament held out of Bob's Fishing Hole in Chesapeake: 1. Mark Ingram and Darrell Kidd, both of Chesapeake, 4.51 total pounds (including the lunker award of 3.55 pounds); 2. Bill Murtha of Suffolk, 1.97.

UPCOMING

- The Portsmouth Angler's Club will hold its monthly meeting at 7 p.m. Monday at the Simonsdale Civic Center, 5006 Vick St., Portsmouth. Guest speakers will be Renee Cooper of Portsmouth Trailer Supply and Max Allen of Bay Propeller. For information, call Rob Jordan at 488-9305.

- The Hampton Roads Maritime Training Program at Tidewater Community College will hold several captains' license courses at the program's new home at the Virginia Beach campus. Day classes begin Jan. 30, and evening classes start Feb. 16. For registration and more information on times and costs, call 625-2126 or 822-1315, or email Geri Melton at gmelton@tcc.edu.