Latest news with #VirginiaDepartmentofWildlifeResources
USA Today
04-06-2025
- General
- USA Today
Man kills 20-plus bald eagles, hawks; public is livid over penalty
Man kills 20-plus bald eagles, hawks; public is livid over penalty A Virginia man pleaded guilty to killing in excess of 20 juvenile and mature bald eagles, and hawks in an effort to protect the waterfowl on his property so he could hunt them. The defendant was found in possession of a pole trap he used to attract the birds of prey to land and then he snared them, according to the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. The man, who built a small waterfowl impoundment on his property, also used a banned pesticide, carbofuran, to poison the eagles and hawks. The defendant was sentenced to one day in jail, two years probation, and nearly $10,000 in fines. 'We're fairly familiar with the guy. We'd dealt with him before on some waterfowl violations,' Virginia Conservation Police Master Officer Brian Bratton said. 'He showed us what was going on and told us what he was doing and why he was doing it. He was killing the hawks and eagles because they were killing all the ducks he was attracting to his impoundment. 'It was the time of year when hawks are migrating through. And in very late winter, the food supply really gets short, so these birds are looking for prey. He was very aware it was illegal, but in his mind, the ends justified the means, because he's getting rid of the predatory birds to protect the ducks. That many hawks and eagles is pretty significant, so I feel like it's a win for protecting the resource from further loss.' Commenters on the VDWR Facebook page vehemently disagreed about it being a win. Many were livid over the man's punishment, and were angry that the VDWR withheld his identity; he was identified as William Custis Smith by court records, according to The Charlotte Observer. Among the comments: 'He got ONE DAY IN JAIL?!!!! One day?!!! One Day?!!!! So it's open season on bald eagles in Virginia now apparently.' 'The sentence should have been much longer, and the fines should have been much higher.' 'Someone certainly dropped the ball here, either the U.S. Attorney, or the judge.' 'Where's the justice for those birds?' Also on FTW Outdoors: Texas fisherman catches record bass, releases it 3 months later 'This truly is a travesty.' 'They probably spent more than $10k in labor in the investigation.' 'Something seems fishy here. No named defendants, a `well known' hunter with numerous violations and only one day with some fines.' The U.S. Attorney prosecuted the case, and the suspect pleaded guilty to violating the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. Violation of the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act can result in a fine of $100,000, imprisonment for one year, or both, for a first offense. Penalties increase substantially for additional offenses, and a second violation of this Act is a felony. The criminal penalties are for persons who 'take, possess, offer to sell, purchase or barter, transport, export or import, at any time or any manner, any bald eagle…[or golden eagle] alive or dead, or any part (including feathers), nest or egg thereof.' Take is defined as 'pursue, shoot, shoot at, poison, wound, kill, capture, molest or disturb.' The investigation, which included the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, began during the 2023-24 waterfowl season when a tip was received about an individual trapping and poisoning hawks and eagles on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. While talking with Bratton, Smith admitted to killing in excess of 20 juvenile and mature bald eagles, and hawks, primarily red-shouldered and red-tailed. He also surrendered a can of carbofuran, the pesticide he used to commit some of the crimes, using it in a pile of fish heads. Bratton located traps and multiple eagle and hawk carcasses to confirm the original information. The investigation concluded on March 31, and the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources announced the results last week.
New York Post
04-06-2025
- General
- New York Post
Virginia hunter gets single day in prison for killing 20 juvenile bald eagles and hawks in poisoning scheme: authorities
A Virginia hunter got a slap on the wrist for poisoning over 20 young hawks and bald eagles during migration season to stop them from preying on ducks, which he wanted to kill for sport, according to authorities. William Custis Smith was sentenced to one day in prison and received a $9,800 fine for killing 20 'juvenile' red-shouldered hawks and bald eagles in 2023, which he claimed were 'encroaching' on his duck hunting impoundment, according to court documents. 4 The corpse of the juvenile bald eagle, which was poisoned with an insecticide by hunter William Smith. U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Virginia 'He's a big duck hunter, and he was in the process of trying to really get it going [and attracting ducks],' Virginia Conservation Police Master Officer Brian Bratton said of Smith in a statement. 'He was killing the hawks and eagles because they were killing all the ducks he was attracting to his impoundment. It was the time of year when the hawks are migrating through,' Bratton said, adding, 'He was very aware it was illegal.' Smith baited the migrating raptors with rotting fish heads he had poisoned with the insecticide carbofuran and set up pole traps — which are designed to ensnare birds' legs, according to the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. 4 An illegal pole trap on Smith's property ensnared the young raptors who were attracted to perch on the raised platform. U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Virginia Investigators found a 'fresh carcass of a juvenile bald eagle' on the bird killer's Delmarva peninsula property and seized it as evidence shortly after opening their investigation, which was spawned from an anonymous tip, according to court documents. Agents installed a 'plot watcher camera' near the illegal pole trap and documented several birds being killed, including one that struggled for over seven hours before Smith beat it to death with a pole, court documents stated. A necropsy report on the bald eagle revealed the presence of carbofuran, an insecticide that was banned in 2008 because of its toxicity to humans, according to the documents. 'This particular poison acts so quickly that nine times out of 10, when an eagle, hawk or whatever eats something, it acts so quickly that they die with whatever they're eating still in their claws,' Bratton said. 4 Investigators found dead fish heads that Smith had poisoned and laid out for bait. U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Virginia Smith admitted to investigators to 'killing in excess of 20 juvenile and mature bald eagles and hawks, primarily red-shouldered and red-tailed,' and handed over his batch of poison to authorities, according to the VDWR statement. A single, first offense violation of the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act — which outlaws killing the birds among other offenses — can carry with it a fine of $100,000 and imprisonment for up to one year, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service. A second violation is considered a felony and results in even steeper penalties. 4 The birds were killed during migration season in an area flush with nature preserves. Jane Scott Norris via Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources Smith was charged in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia and pleaded guilty to five misdemeanor charges of Unlawful Taking of a Bald Eagle, Unlawful Taking of a Migratory Bird, and Unlawful Use of a Pesticide, according to court documents. As part of the plea deal, he was ordered to pay $9,800 in restitution, serve 24 months' probation, 50 hours of community service, and spend one day in jail, according to the VDWR. Smith's hometown of Hallwood, Virginia is near several protected areas including Saxis Wildlife Management Area, Mutton Hunk Fen Natural Area Preserve, Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, and Wallps Island National Wildlife Refuge. US Fish and Wildlife did not respond to The Post's request for comment.
Axios
19-05-2025
- General
- Axios
Birds in Virginia and nationwide are vanishing — fast
Birds that call Virginia's coast and mountains home are in serious decline. Why it matters: Birds are indicators of the health of their habitats and signal early warnings of broader trouble to the environment, and potentially people. By the numbers: In the past 50 years, Virginia species like Wilson's Plover — a signature bird of Virginia's barrier islands — have lost half of their population, per the North American Bird Conservation Initiative's 2025 State of the Birds report. The plover and the Golden-winged warbler are now labeled a "Tipping Point" species, meaning they could vanish within the next half-century without urgent conservation action. The cerulean warbler in Virginia's mountains has also seen its population crash in the past 50 years. Zoom in: The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources has said pollution, changing climate and "the sea level rise that comes with it" can impact Virginia's coastal birds. The report noted declines in eastern forest birds, like the Bachman's sparrow in Virginia, are partly due to habitat loss from residential development. Threat level: A blow to birds is a blow to the economy. From birding tourism to pest control and pollination, birds generate nearly $280 billion annually for the U.S. economy, the report finds. The big picture: It's not just Virginia. Researchers tracked species nationwide and found declines almost everywhere — even among birds once thought resilient, like waterfowl. Roughly one-third of U.S. bird species — 229 in total — are now classified as high or moderate conservation concerns. Yes, but: There are signs of hope. Thanks to wetland protections, dabbling and diving duck populations have jumped 24% since 1970, while waterbirds are up 16%, per the report.
Axios
07-05-2025
- Health
- Axios
Maymont's tiny black bear turns 20
Maymont's Little Bear celebrated his 20th birthday over the weekend with some apples and honey. Why it matters: Due to his chronic conditions, he likely wouldn't be alive today if he was left in the wild. Catch up quick: The American black bear has been with Maymont since May 2006, after the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources rescued him from a highway near Roanoke. Little Bear is smaller than average due to his dwarfism and symptoms that mimic Addison's disease, Maymont spokesperson Melissa Abernathy tells us. Those symptoms can include chronic fatigue and joint pain, which Abernathy says Maymont helps manage with medication. That also means that his companion Big Bear, who is about his same age, is almost 100 pounds heavier than him (476 pounds vs. 384). Fun fact: Abernathy tells Axios that Little Bear and Big Bear have a "big bro/little bro" relationship and that Little Bear's favorite napping spot is on the cliff.
Axios
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Snag a chance to cuddle up to Richmond's falcon chicks
A few lucky locals can meet the newly hatched Richmond peregrine falcon chicks through a now-open raffle from the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. Why it matters: It's a rare chance to get up close and personal with these aerial predators while they're still babes. Plus, there's beer! This is Richmond, after all. The big picture: DWR has been breeding peregrine falcons in downtown Richmond for 25 years, and since 2017, they've run the Richmond Falcon Cam livestream of the nest, which sits atop Riverfront Plaza. This year, DWR is partnering with folks from Richmond's own Triple Crossing Beer brewing — who happen to be big Falcon Cam fans — for the raffle. Triple Crossing's flagship IPA is also called... Falcon Smash. Plus: Spring is prime hatching time, Three of four chicks this year have hatched as of press time. How it works: The raffle will allow three winners to join biologists on Banding Day, when they give each chick an ID band about 30 days after hatching. The winners get an invitation to Banding Day, a DWR swag pack, a DWR and Triple Crossing collaboration T-shirt, and a Triple Crossing Brew Day tour at the Fulton location.
