The remains of 13 bald eagles found in a rural area in Caroline County Saturday afternoon are enoute to a wildlife forensics lab in Oregon for analysis.
Natural Resources spokeswoman Candy Thomson said a around 2:30 p.m. Saturday a man saw what he thought was a dead turkey in a field in Federalsburg, Md. Upon closer inspection he discovered it was a bald eagle. When he found three more dead birds in the same area he called authorities.
Responding Natural Resources police found an additional nine dead eagles in the area, for a total of 13. Natural Resources Police and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are conducting a joint investigation into the unusual number of deaths.
Authorities said the birds do not have any obvious signs of trauma and they might have been accidentally poisoned.
The eagles are being taken to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Forensics Laboratory in Ashland, Oregon for necropsy and x-rays.
Anyone with information is asked to call 410-260-8888.
