Eagle died naturally, NRP says

Northern Goshawk shooting investigation continues

Michael A. Sawyers Cumberland Times-News


CUMBERLAND — A postmortem examination revealed that a bald eagle found dead along Hazen Road in mid-September died of natural causes, not from a gunshot as originally suspected.

“The case is closed,” said Sgt. Art Windemuth of the Maryland Natural Resources Police. “A necropsy performed by Dr. Kelly Malec-McConnell showed that the hole in the eagle’s breast was made after the bird was already dead.”

The dead adult bird was discovered on the afternoon of Sept. 16 in the 14000 block of Hazen Road near Evitts Creek in northern Allegany County.

The Times-News was unable to reach Malec-McConnell at the LaVale Veterinary Hospital on Wednesday to inquire about the gender, weight and age of the eagle or about what may have caused the post-death hole in the bird.

An open investigation continues in the shooting of a northern goshawk in Garrett County in June, said NRP Officer Jim Satterfield on Wednesday.

“We have exhausted all leads. There is, unfortunately, no new information,” Satterfield said. A DNR biologist discovered the bird’s remains.

That female northern goshawk, described by Maryland Department of Natural Resources officials as the only known breeding bird of its species in the state, was killed by a blast from a 12-gauge shotgun and her three chicks were left to die in Savage River State Forest near Grantsville.

There is a $1,000 reward in this case offered by the Maryland Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus and an $800 reward by the Maryland Ornithological Society.

Information about the crime may be relayed to police at 800-635-6124.

The northern goshawk is a large forest bird of prey that was driven from the state in the early 1900s by rampant timber harvesting, DNR officials said. An adult has a length of 19 inches and a wingspan of 42 inches.

Contact Michael A. Sawyers at msawyers @times-news.com

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