Larry,
Eagles are an odd part of the issue. Anyone who knows a bit about what birds of prey cough up after a meal can spot the difference between eagle and say owl or hawk scat-the former has no bones or hair in it, due to the strong digestive acid in an eagles stomach.
They are more sensitive to lead than most other birds. But, having said that, any number that gets dragged up on lead poisoning for eagles pales in comparison to the number killed in collisions with cars, as the birds are happy to feed on carrion on the side of the road, and a bunch perish that way every year. Yet, they are flourishing, and nobody can disagree with that.
Besides the numbers of birds being different today, than, say, 50 years past, the behavior of birds of prey is night and day different than it was then. To a large degree, they have lost their fear of mankind, and will not flee anytime a human is within 500 yards, something that is dramatically different than when I was a kid.
Several locals, including myself, wrote the Mpls. paper, in response to the lead shot ban story-none were printed in the op/ed section, but, there was one printed from someone who thought all lead sinkers and lead shot should be banned.
This is typical behavior out of the "Red Star" which also sees fit to print letters from local crazies who compare anyone who is a climate change skeptic to Nazis.
The very good news is they are dying a slow and painful death from lack of readership.
Best,
Ted
