Very common here in my area now. Gov. Houcol now wants to ban lead bullets in NY because eagles are supposedly dying because of ingesting lead bullet fragments from carrion they feed on.
My question is how were eagle populations able to rebound given the fact hunters have used lead bullets in NY for centuries ?

Buzzard in a tuxedo

Was'nt his the turkey? Could not believe the number of eagles in one spot feasting during low tide when i visited Alaska!

There have always been eagles here on the Mississippi during my lifetime. Yesterday there were probably couple hundred sitting on the ice by open water. That we did not see in 1960s when I was kid out messing around. Eagles and other birds made their comeback after the wide spread use of DDT was banned. At least that is what I came to understand and it wasn't just eagles rebounded. As for the lead poisoning that does happen. My sister has always had a love for birds of prey. She was involved in rescue for short time and assured me that lead poisoning indeed happens. I believe it is very debatable what the actual source is and bullets are a small part of that. Lead has been the boggieman for sometime for certain groups. Eagle enthusiasts probably top that list right now.

Mac