May 27, 2005
Eagle Feather Uses
First, the latest nest news -
From the cam nest: We've seen the youngest eaglet, Aramis, still getting a lot of food from the parents, so we assume he has not fledged. The parents are doing a good job of taking care of him, which shouldn't surprise us, as they've been excellent parents. Athos, the oldest, only gets occasional meals from the adults, so we continue to assume he has fledged and is getting a good bit of his food elsewhere.
Also, one of our cam watchers suggested we do a comparison photo showing how the eaglets have grown, so here is a photo that shows how their bodies have changed over 11 weeks. Amazing growth for less than 3 months! Click on the thumbnail.
Finally, most cam watchers have probably noticed that the cam has been pushed down again. We think the wing-flapping eaglets might have done it. We're too close to an empty nest now to fix it, but we're working on ways to make the cam more secure for next season (December 2005).
Good news from Vermont: We asked Amy Alfieri, the Hack Site Coordinator, if we will be able to see our eaglet fledge on camera #2 at the Vermont Initiative website. She informed us that, "As of now, the plan is to open the hack boxes Wed. June 1 overnight. So you will be able to see the opened boxes on June 2. We will probably move the camera then, but our night attendent may do it sooner the next time he goes in to fill water bowls." We thank Amy for being so helpful in making sure we are kept current with all the happenings in VT.
Bird Banding: And on a slightly different topic, we talked about the banding of our cam eaglets awhile back. At the San Francisco peregrine falcon cam website, they have a great gallery posted that shows the banding of their falcon chicks. Note that in addition to the silver U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service bands, these falcons also received a VID band -- or visual identification band -- that can be more easily read using a pair of binoculars. Be sure to visit their banding gallery as the photos offer wonderful close-ups of the bands and the adorable chicks.
Now onto eagle feather uses...
In the last post we talked about the different types of eagle feathers and how the eagles use them to soar when searching for prey and when migrating. Another unique aspect of eagle feathers is that they are highly valued by Native Americans for religious and cultural purposes, such as marriage, healing, and naming ceremonies.
Traditional American Indian beliefs state that the Creator made all the birds of the world and signaled out the eagle as Master of the Sky. Because the eagle flies higher and sees farther, it is closer to Father Sky and is capable of carrying messages to the Creator. When one wears an eagle feather, the Creator takes notice; thus eagle feathers are seen as a valuable possession. An Indian brave, warrior, or chieftain would be highly honored to have earned an eagle feather through acts of bravery.
Under U.S. and Canadian law, a permit is required for anyone to possess authentic bald eagle or golden eagle feathers. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service runs The National Eagle Repository where feathers from dead eagles are collected and distributed to Native Americans so they can legally use them for their ceremonial purposes.
According to the National Eagle Repository, the demand is great and "applicants can expect to wait about 3 and one half years for a whole bird order to be filled. Approximately 95% of the orders are for whole eagles. Currently, there are over 5000 people on the waiting list for approximately 1000 eagles the Repository receives each year."
This high demand often leads to eagle feathers being sold on the black market, where eagle traffic amounts to millions of dollars each year, and a single bald eagle feather head dress can bring more than $10,000. Eagle items are sought not only by Native Americans but also by collectors from as far away as Japan, Germany, Britain and eastern Europe. Just recently in Canada, an illegal eagle operation was discovered and exposed to authorities.
Possession of live or dead eagles or their feathers, without special permits, is a federal offense, punishable by stiff fines and possible prison sentences, but unfortunately that does not discourage some parties from killing eagles and moving them across the border between the U.S. and Canada.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service works hard to disrupt black market activities and pursue poachers using their Office of Law Enforcement and the National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory.
Another helpful factor is that less discriminating buyers can now find companies on the Internet that make imitation eagle feathers, which greatly resemble the real item, while taking nothing from the eagles.
Until next time,
Lisa - webmaster