Conservation Science Global

SNAPPED: Yellowstone researchers fit golden eagle with GPS backpack YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — Biologists in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) recently offered a peek into the ways they monitor golden eagle populations in the park. In photos taken by National Park Service photographer Jacob W. Frank and shared by YNP at the end of January, bird biologist David Haines and his team can be seen […]

Researchers in Yellowstone National Park fitted a golden eagle with a GPS backpack to track movement/survival across WY. Data like this helps address risks like lead exposure.

https://buckrail.com/snapped-yellowstone-researchers-fit-golden-eagle-with-gps-backpack/

Famous Bald Eagle Couple, Freedom and Liberty, Lay a Rare Third Egg on President's Day Two bald eagles named Freedom and Liberty have laid a third egg in February, with the rare third egg arriving on Presidents' Day. The eagles previously welcomed two more eggs earlier this month on Feb...

Two wild bald eagles in the Kansas City area, Freedom and Liberty, just laid a third egg — the latest on Presidents Day. Three eggs isn’t typical, making this a special moment for eagle cam viewers. Both parents are now incubating all three as nesting season unfolds.

people.com/kansas-city-...

We attended the Black Hills Sportsman's Expo to launch Hunt Lead-Free SD. Eagles scavenge gut piles, and tiny lead fragments can poison them. Hunters who draw tags in select units may qualify for a free box of lead-free ammo. This is another great way hunters in SD can contribute to conservation!

‘We thought they would ignore us’: how humans are changing the way raptors behave Experts call for tighter regulation as GPS tracking reveals how people’s behaviour affects the lives of some of the world’s largest birds

New GPS research shows raptors are far more affected by human activity than we thought. Hiking pressure, development, and infrastructure are changing where they hunt, rest, and nest. Some even abandon territories.

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

NY Hunters for Eagle Conservation attended the NY Sportsman's Expo last wkend with the North American Lead-Free Partnership and the NYDEC. We had over 1,000 hunters visit us to discuss the benefits of lead-free ammo! The Cornell raptors were *definitely* celebrities.

#hunting #eagleconservation

Seven bald eagles admitted to one Pennsylvania rehab center. Most poisoned by lead. This isn’t random. Hunters for Eagle Conservation and Conservation Science Global focus on real-world actions that keep eagles out of rehab and in the sky where they belong.
#Leadfree #Hunting #Eagleconservation

Bald eagles face highest lead risk of NYS deer scavengers | Cornell Chronicle Bald eagles are the most vulnerable to lead poisoning from hunters' ammunition of more than 30 species known to scavenge deer carcasses in New York state, Cornell research finds.

Research from Cornell and NYDEC shows bald eagles face the highest lead risk among deer scavengers. This is why CSG is continuing our New York Hunters for Eagle Conservation program, supporting voluntary, hunter-led solutions.
news.cornell.edu/stories/2024...
#Leadfree #EagleConservation

Golden eagle Athena returns to Kentucky, providing valuable research in 2025 Researchers at Bernheim Forest collected more than 21,000 data points from Athena during her 6,455-mile roundtrip journey.

Athena, a GPS-tracked golden eagle in KY, is revealing how far these birds travel and how many risks they face along the way. Migration research like this helps guide smarter conservation across the landscapes eagles depend on.
www.whas11.com/article/news...
#GoldenEagle #EagleConservation

Test confirms bald eagle found dead in the Black Hills had lead poisoning A distressed bald eagle reported by two hikers in the Black Hills National Forest in late November suffered from toxic levels of lead in its system.

A bald eagle found dead in the Black Hills was confirmed to have died from lead poisoning. To reduce this preventable loss, we're launching Hunt Lead-Free South Dakota, supporting hunters with practical, voluntary solutions!
www.sdpb.org/2025-12-16/t...
#LeadFree #Eagles

Copper kills cleanly and gets the job done while protecting scavenging eagles. Photo by Will Zuschlag with a hard-earned Texas white-tail, and some solid management of feral hogs to boot.

#eagleconservation #hunting #leadfree #deerhunting #hoghunting

Boise State scientists lead landmark study to protect golden eagles A new research partnership led by Boise State University is taking flight to solve one...

Excited to announce that Boise State, CSG, and USGS are collaborating on a new project to map survival and collision risk at wind farm sites. This work will improve turbine planning and support sustainable renewable-energy growth.

www.boisestate.edu/news/2025/11...

#eagleconservation

At Avian Haven, most eagles admitted show some level of lead exposure linked to fragments from lead ammo. Sadly, Avian Haven recently lost a golden eagle to extreme lead levels, underscoring the ongoing risk. Officials in Maine are urging a shift to lead-free ammo.

#eagleconservation #hunting

We love the new US Forever stamps illustrated by David Sibley! They depict the life stages of Bald Eagles from hatchling to nestling, juvenile, subadult, and adult. It takes about 5 years for them to molt into their iconic white heads and start to claim breeding territories.

#eagleconservation

One of our tracked bald eagles, hatched in east-central IL, became our first tagged nestling in the project to breed at just 5 years old. Sadly, she was found grounded in IN last week. A necropsy will tell us more. Choosing lead-free ammo is one way hunters can help eagles!
#BaldEagle #Conservation

Good news - USFWS expanded its Voluntary Lead-Free Ammunition Program to 13 national wildlife refuges in 12 states (OR, WI, NC, NJ, MD, WV, ID, MD, NH, NY, VT, and MA), up from 7 last year. Partnered with Conservation Science Global, it helps to further protect eagles from lead poisoning.

Bald eagle’s deadly lead poisoning from spent ammo renews concerns ahead of deer hunting season When a bald eagle was brought into the Blue Ridge Wildlife Center this month, teams recognized the signs of lead poisoning and ran a blood sample through the clinic’s machine. The levels were too high...

A bald eagle in Virginia was recently found with 3,000 µg/dL of lead in its blood — it died within a day. Lead fragments from ammo in carcasses poison eagles every deer season. Hunters can help by choosing copper rounds.
www.foxweather.com/earth-space/...
#LeadFreeHunting #BaldEagles #Conservation

Last weekend, NY Hunters for Eagle Conservation attended the NY State Conservation Council Meeting! We discussed our lead-free program and the North American Lead-Free Partnership led a ballistics demonstration showing superior performance by copper ammo vs lead.

#leadfree #hunting #conservation

Since 2012, we've tracked 250+ bald eagles (146 as nestlings)! One female, originally caught in OK and now grown up and nesting in KS, is now heading north. In winter, eagles feed on gut piles, risking lead poisoning from ammo. Hunters can help by switching to lead-free.

#BaldEagle #Conservation

Using satellite telemetry, CSG staff recently located a bald eagle in Cedar Rapids, IA, tagged by us as a nestling in 2017!
Now a breeding adult, she was seen on a nest there.
Long-term tracking reveals vital insights into eagle movement & nesting sites.

#eagleconservation #baldeagle #ornithology

CSG just wrapped up training with our vet partners at MN Raptor Center, teaching how to safely fit a bald eagle with satellite telemetry 🦅
These transmitters help track survival, movement & habitat use. Vital tools for conservation!

#eagleconservation #telemetry #ornithology

New research from CSG! 🪶
Missy Braham’s new study shows wind—not food—drives CA condor movement.
Airspace-aware models beat habitat ones, with big implications for conservation & wind energy.

Read: doi.org/10.1016/j.cu...
#CondorConservation #Aeroecology

#condors #condorconservation #ornithology

CSG employees actively volunteer on a variety of projects! CSG’s Karrin Huhmann volunteers with Johnson County Master Naturalists, co-leading trail restoration, monitoring nestboxes, and supporting prothonotary warbler banding, a species of concern. #birdbanding @crinoidbcretaceous.bsky.social

Bird banding is at risk due to proposed USGS budget cuts that could end key programs like the Bird Banding Lab & Breeding Bird Survey. These are vital for tracking bird populations, informing conservation, and supporting citizen science. Help protect this legacy! #birdbanding #conservation #audubon

Juvenile bald or golden eagle? 🦅 Look for:
🟤 Feathered legs = golden
🟤 Proportionally large bill = bald
🟤 Dihedral glide = golden | Flat wings = bald
🟤 Color: goldens = clean white wing patches, white tail base, dark breast | balds = messy mottling
#Ornithology #EagleConservation

Our Wyoming lead-free ammo program is back for the 2025–26 season! 🦅 If you drew a limited quota deer, elk, or pronghorn tag in a target unit, you qualify for a free box. Watch your mailbox for a postcard + code to claim it! 💥 #LeadFree #Hunting #EagleConservation

We’re launching a brand new, voluntary lead-free ammo program in Georgia! 🦅 Deer hunters in select WMA's and counties can get a free box of lead-free ammo this season. These are eagle hotspots — let’s help protect them!
#LeadFree #Hunting #EagleConservation

Fascinating Eagle FAQ | National Eagle Center Learn about Bald and Golden Eagles—and how they compare to one another. Click the category you want to explore, and feel your knowledge soar.

🦅 Happy Independence Day! Bald eagles have symbolized the U.S. since 1782. While no longer federally endangered, they’re still threatened by lead poisoning and other human activities. Go lead-free to help protect them! Learn more facts about eagles: www.nationaleaglecenter.org/learn/faq/ #BaldEagle

Two more bald eagles are now being tracked in Missouri! 🦅 In partnership with the Missouri Department of Conservation, CSG is studying territorial eagle movement near a wind facility using satellite telemetry—vital data for conservation.

#BaldEagles #Telemetry #WildlifeResearch #Conservation

CSG botanist Rosalind Rowe is helping restore ecosystems through Seeds of Success—scouting, collecting, and growing native plants once dismissed as weeds but vital to recovery. A unique treasure hunt to be sure, and work nearly 400 years overdue.

#NativePlants #SeedsOfSuccess

Increase In Bald Eagles Along The Oregon Coast Needing Treatment, But Not From The Bird Flu With the avian flu affecting birds, another issue has popped up in Oregon

While avian flu continues to receive nationwide attention, lead poisoning in eagles remains a significant challenge that also deserves coverage. 2 of the 3 bald eagles admitted to this center in just a few weeks had toxic lead levels from scavenging carcasses from animals shot with lead bullets.