Biologists Examine Eaglet at Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge for Post-delisting Monitoring
On May 9, 2013, Jeremy N. Moore and volunteers Dave Best (retied) and Therese Best of the East Lansing Field Office examined and sampled a 52-day old, female bald eaglet at the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge in Saginaw, Mich. The eaglet was temporarily removed from its nest, examined, weighed, measured, banded, and its blood and feathers sampled for contaminant analysis as part of ongoing bald eagle monitoring efforts. East Lansing Field Office coordinates the effort in Michigan as part of the species post-delisting monitoring plan.
In addition, contaminant data from the plasma and feathers provides information on water quality, including current risks to wildlife from DDT/DDE, PCBs, and mercury that managers can use to set discharge permits and prioritize areas for cleanup. Data from this ongoing effort is also used to determine when Great Lakes Areas of Concern have recovered enough to no longer be listed as Areas of Concern by the United States and Canada.
ABC 12 of Flint, MI captured a report of the event:
http://www.abc12.com/story/22209570/52-day-old-bald-eagle-examined-and-banded-in-saginaw-county
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