First bald eagle death in Massachusetts from rodenticides confirmed
MassWildlife officials recently confirmed that a bald eagle that died in March was the victim of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticide (SGAR) poisoning. While mortalities in bald eagles due to anticoagulant rodenticides have been documented in other states, this is the first confirmed case in Massachusetts. In mid-March, observers reported odd behavior of an adult female eaglet a nest located on the Charles River in Middlesex County. Unfortunately, within a day, the bird had died on its nest. MassWildlife officials retrieved the eagle and transported it to Tufts Wildlife Clinic at Cummings Veterinary Medical Center at Tufts University where a necropsy was performed. Toxicology testing of a liver sample was performed with the assistance of the Northeast Wildlife Disease Cooperative. Both the necropsy and toxicology test results confirmed that the cause of death was lethal levels of anticoagulant rodenticides.
Anticoagulant rodenticides are a type of rodent poison that kills by preventing blood from clotting normally, resulting in a fatal hemorrhage. Wildlife can be poisoned by anticoagulant rodenticides in two ways: 1) primary poisoning when an animal directly eats the bait and dies several days later, or 2) secondary poisoning when a predator or scavenger eats prey that has consumed the bait. Secondary poisoning has been documented in birds of prey like hawks and owls, as well as foxes, bobcats, and coyotes. While bald eagles primarily eat fish, they are opportunistic foragers that feed on a variety of animals and are known to scavenge or prey on small mammals.
Given the hunting range of eagles, it’s impossible to determine the exact source of this rodenticide poisoning. Analysis of liver tissue confirmed three different SGARs were ingested by the eagle. In the past 15 years, the US EPA has taken steps to impose restrictions on rodenticides (see table below). SGARs are believed to be most harmful to wildlife and now cannot be sold through general consumer outlets for the typical homeowner to use. SGARs can still be purchased online in commercial use quantities, and licensed pest professionals and agricultural users are able to use them. Other rodenticides, called first-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (FGARs) and non-anticoagulant rodenticides, are still approved for residential consumer use if enclosed within a bait station.
“The struggle to control mice and rats is usually viewed in terms of humans vs. rodents, but wildlife such as birds of prey are often not recognized as players in this battle,” said Dr. Maureen Murray, Director of Tufts Wildlife Clinic. "Many people are surprised to learn that the mouse poison they use in their basement can also kill the great horned owl hooting in the neighborhood.” Studies in other species of birds of prey conducted at Tufts Wildlife Clinic have shown widespread exposure to SGARs among these birds. MassWildife officials, in partnership with Tufts Wildlife Clinic, provide the following advice for homeowners with a rodent problem to minimize harm to wildlife:
- Rodent-proof your home. Before using a poison, remove or securely contain any potential food sources for rodents. Repair any exterior areas of your home to prevent rodents from coming inside.
- Arm yourself with information. Consider alternatives to poison, such as snap traps. Poisons should be used as a last resort. Be sure to check the active ingredients and opt for products that contain bromethalin, chlorophacinone, or diphacinone. Use poisons only in bait stations as per the label instructions and avoid any in pellet form.
- Ask your pest control company questions. Look for an integrated pest management company that uses multiple approaches to pest control instead of relying solely on poisons. You can request that the company avoid using SGAR products including brodifacoum, bromadiolone, difenacoum, or difethialone.
While the death of this individual bald eagle is disturbing, MassWildlife officials are encouraged to report that the overall population of bald eagles in Massachusetts continues to recover and grow in numbers and geographic distribution. In fact, the nest where the female bald eagle died in March may already have a new resident. According to observers, within a week of the female’s death, another adult female eagle was observed at the nest with the male adult. “The appearance of a new female in such a short period of time speaks to the state’s robust eagle population,” said Andrew Vitz, MassWildlife’s State Ornithologist. “Though it is late in the mating season, it is possible that this bird may lay eggs this spring. If not, pair bonding between the two birds will strengthen over the year and nesting will likely be attempted in the early spring of 2022.” Thanks to the efforts of MassWildlife and other conservation partners, there are currently over 80 pairs of bald eagles nesting in Massachusetts from the Cape to the Berkshires. Click here to learn more about bald eagle conservation in Massachusetts.
Summary of Rodenticides
|
Type of rodenticide |
Examples |
Use |
|---|---|---|
|
SGAR |
brodifacoum, difethialone, bromadiolone, difenacoum |
Prohibited for residential consumer purchase; available to licensed professionals and agricultural users |
|
FGAR |
chlorophacinone, diphacinone |
Approved for residential consumer use (must be enclosed within a bait station) |
|
Non-anticoagulant |
bromethalin |
Approved for residential consumer use (must be enclosed within a bait station) |
|
Type of rodenticide |
Examples |
Use |
|---|
Image credit: Bald Eagle (Courtesy of James B. Condon, Jr)
Other resources
Please click here for a list of licensed Problem Animal Control agents.
Please see these articles about rodenticides and wildlife:
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“How to Spoil an Owl’s Dinner” by Maureen Murray, DVM. Massachusetts Wildlife, No. 3, 2014.
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“Understanding the Risks of Rodent Poisons to Birds of Prey” by Angela Nelson. TuftsNow, 2020.
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“Keep Your Home Safe From Rodent Poisons” by Genevieve Rajewski. Tufts Magazine, 2015.
Why cutting trees isn't always a bad thing
Earth Day was last month, bringing attention to our planet’s most pressing environmental threats and inspiring calls for action like tree planting. From a young age, we're taught planting trees is good for the environment, so alternatively, cutting down trees is bad—right? Well, it's not that simple.
Forest carbon is a hot topic these days and with good reason. Trees remove carbon from the atmosphere and store it as wood, which helps mitigate the negative impacts of climate change. While some people believe the best use for a tree is to leave it alone to keep taking more carbon out of the atmosphere, this blanket “do-nothing" approach is an oversimplification of a complex issue. Forest carbon and climate change need to be addressed within a framework of the numerous benefits trees and forests provide including clean water and air, wildlife habitat, renewable wood products, aesthetics, and recreational opportunity—as well as carbon sequestration and storage. And in our inhabited landscape we never really “do nothing.” As a modern society, we don’t let wildfires burn, we don’t let beavers flood housing developments, and we don’t leave behind the “mess” of blown-down trees after a tornado or hurricane. We value human lives and the safety of our homes more than we value letting nature take its own course.
According to a recent report, we are losing 13 acres of forestland to development in Massachusetts every day. Without question, the most important action to take relative to forests and climate change is to keep forests from being cleared for development. MassWildlife and its conservation partners are doing their part by permanently protecting thousands of acres of forest each year and ensuring they will continue to remove carbon from the atmosphere and keep it stored. But it’s important to remember: climate change mitigation isn’t the only environmental goal, and land protection alone isn’t enough to conserve wildlife and their habitats.
At some point in their life cycle, many types of wildlife rely on open habitats that just wouldn't exist with a “do-nothing” approach. Examples include ruffed grouse, American woodcock, New England cottontail, buck moth, and wood turtle, white-tailed deer, wild turkeys, and a variety of songbirds. Over time, changes in human land use have fundamentally altered natural disturbance processes like flooding and fire that historically created a diversity of wildlife and vibrant open habitats. Some of these open habitats, such as shrublands, grasslands, and young forests, are now rare in Massachusetts due to development, forest maturation, and fire and flood suppression. Without habitat restoration and management, we would lose a number of native wildlife, tree, and plant communities. In fact, over 40% of the 427 plants and animals currently listed under the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act depend on habitats needing active management during at least part of their life cycle. If you’re wondering what we mean by “active habitat management”, this can include strategically cutting trees, mowing, invasive plant removal, and prescribed fire.
As the state agency responsible for the conservation of freshwater fish and wildlife, it is MassWildlife’s core mission to address the effects of human activity on wildlife and their habitats, including over 226,000 acres of conserved lands under MassWildlife’s care and control. Using information from scientific literature, biological monitoring, and private conservation organizations, MassWildlife’s staff of professional biologists and foresters set habitat goals for these lands designed to conserve a wide variety of wildlife and plants. MassWildlife’s habitat management goals offer a balanced approach by seeking a diverse portfolio of habitat composition, from passively managed forest reserves with no tree cutting to the other end of the spectrum of open canopy grasslands, shrublands, and young forests which require active forestry activities like tree cutting and mulching.
Habitat goals for MassWildlife lands
In keeping with the agency’s science-based habitat goals, the majority of MassWildlife’s forestlands will continue to be managed as forests. Because of this commitment and continuing forest growth, carbon accounting for MassWildlife-managed lands shows a net annual increase in carbon storage even after factoring in carbon release associated with active habitat management required for open habitats. In fact, the amount of additional carbon that could be stored by eliminating tree cutting on MassWildlife lands is less than 2% of the amount of carbon that our forests are already removing from the atmosphere each year. In exchange for that small amount of carbon, MassWildlife maintains the benefits of clean air and water, restores habitat for wildlife, provides people with a variety of nature-based recreational opportunities, and also increases the diversity and resiliency of the landscape to climate change impacts, reducing the likelihood of catastrophic carbon releases in the future.
While it might make for an easy slogan to say “Never cut down trees,” that’s not the best call-to-action if you care about wildlife conservation. Environmental problems are often complex, and require complex solutions. It’s not always as easy as a simple “either-or”. The ultimatum doesn’t need to be climate change mitigation OR wildlife conservation. With MassWildlife’s balanced habitat goals, we can have both. In the last 5 years, MassWildlife's Wildlife Management Areas are estimated to have stored over 2 million tons of carbon, and MassWildlife staff restored important wildlife habitat on nearly 12 thousand acres. MassWildlife remains committed to fulfilling our mandates of protecting all of the Commonwealth’s biodiversity AND reducing greenhouse gases.
Click here to learn more about MassWildlife’s habitat management program.
Click here for more information on carbon storage on MassWildlife lands.
Read the Massachusetts Wildlife magazine article Carbon and Conservation on MassWildlife Forest Lands.
Take mom fishing!
A family fishing trip is a fun way to celebrate Mother’s Day and get everyone together for an outdoor adventure. Don’t let mom stress about any of the planning! You can help make a Mother’s Day fishing trip the perfect gift with a little extra preparation.
A family fishing trip is a fun way to celebrate Mother’s Day and get everyone together for an outdoor adventure. Don’t let mom stress about any of the planning! You can help make a Mother’s Day fishing trip the perfect gift with a little extra preparation.
Tips for having the best Mother’s Day fishing trip:
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Pick a great location. Mom deserves some peace and quiet this Mother’s Day so be sure to find a scenic spot. To find fishing spots near you, check out MassWildlife's Top Places to Fish for Beginners Map. If you want to make a day of it, state parks are a good option and usually offer amenities like picnic tables, grills, and bathrooms. When you're fishing with young kids, go somewhere that is relatively close to home. To avoid spending your day untangling line from trees, look for an open space with enough room for children to cast.
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Have the gear ready to go. Let mom relax in the morning and have the car all packed up the day before. Don’t forget important things like sunscreen, bug spray, and mom's favorite snacks! Click here for a list of suggested items you'll need to get started fishing.
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Purchase her fishing license as a gift and tuck it into a handmade card. This gift will keep on giving, as fishing licenses are valid through the end of the year. Kids under 15 can fish for free without a license, and licenses are free for those 15–17. If you want to bring the grandparents along, seniors 70 and older are also eligible for free licenses. Get fishing licenses here.
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Take lots of pictures! Make sure you get that perfect action shot of mom reeling in her catch and of course you need to take a group selfie to remember the day. Tag MassWildlife in your photos on social media so we can see how much fun you’re having! Find us on Facebook and Instagram.
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Plan extra activities. Keep everyone entertained by including a nature walk in your plans and bringing along sand toys, binoculars, frisbees, playing cards, or whatever your family enjoys.
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Prepare a meal. If someone in your family is lucky enough to reel in a keeper, consider bringing it home to prepare a nice meal for mom. Click here for tips on cooking and preparing fish.
Spending the day on the water with mom doesn’t have to just last one day, get out there as much as you can to continue making memories and reeling in those fish!
MassWildlife launches new bat house initiative
Throughout Massachusetts there are nine species of bats, five of which are considered endangered. Currently, one of the greatest threats to bats is White-nose Syndrome (WNS), a fungal disease that has caused devastating mortality of bats that spend their winters hibernating in caves and mines. Bat houses provide clean homes for bats that are free of white-nose syndrome.
Last year, MassWildlife launched a new effort to construct and install bat houses to raise awareness about the important role bats play in our environment and get more bat houses out on the landscape. Artificial roost sites (like bat houses) are tools for mitigation, conservation, and habitat enhancements for sensitive bat species. Properly constructed and strategically placed bat houses can be an important tool in assisting bat survival. So far, MassWildlife has installed 30 bat houses on MassWildlife Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) and private lands., with more planned to be installed later this year.
Get involved
- Build a bat house: One of the best ways you can support bat conservation is to put up an artificial roost, like a bat house. Bat houses give females a safe, warm place to raise their young. Since most female bats only have one pup each year, bat populations grow very slowly. Additionally, due to habitat loss and degradation, it is becoming harder for bats to locate natural roost sites to raise their young. Installing a bat house on your property can provide a safe environment for bats, while protecting your yard from pest insects, like mosquitoes, moths, and beetles. Bat houses can be purchased or you can build your own. You can find a guide to bat houses on MassWildlife’s website, including plans for building a bat house, installation tips, and advice for attracting bats to your bat house.
- Become a volunteer bat monitor: MassWildlife is looking for volunteers to help monitor its newly installed bat houses on Wildlife Management Areas. No special bat experience required! Monitors will be asked to visit the site of their assigned bat house at least once a month during June, July, and August, and report to MassWildlife if bats are present. Volunteers must have their own transportation to the site and be able to navigate using a set of GPS coordinates. Prospective volunteers are encouraged to fill out this application form. MassWildlife will contact you with details if a bat house is in need of a monitor in your area.
For more information on WNS and other threats to bats, see MassWildlife’s webpage on bat mortality in Massachusetts.
Wear your life jacket when boating this spring
With nearly 1,500 miles of coastline, four major river systems, and hundreds of lakes and ponds, Massachusetts offers excellent fishing and boating opportunities. As warmer weather sets in, Massachusetts boaters and anglers are eager to take to the water. In honor of National Safe Boating Week (May 22–28), the Massachusetts Environmental Police and MassWildlife remind boaters and anglers to think of safety first when enjoying the water by wearing life jackets, knowing your boating capabilities, and practicing safe social distancing.
The early warm days of spring can mask water temperatures that are often dangerously cold. If you capsize or fall overboard, you can succumb to hypothermia within minutes. Hypothermia is the lowering of the internal body temperature. This temperature drop can make it difficult for you to swim, paddle, or stay afloat. A sudden, unexpected fall into cold water can also cause you to involuntarily gasp and ingest water, which can lead to death by drowning. While most life jackets will not prevent hypothermia, they do help you stay afloat. Wearing a properly fitted life jacket (personal flotation device) could save your life. Many boating fatality victims fail to wear a life jacket.
Boating safety advocates recommend that all boaters and passengers not only have a life jacket, but wear it at all times while boating. In Massachusetts, life jackets must be worn by:
- Canoeists and kayakers from September 15 to May 15
- Youth under 12 years old
- Personal watercraft users
- Waterskiers
- Stand-up paddleboard users
Mary-Lee King honored
Mary-Lee King, Hudson resident and recently retired from the Department of Fish and Game (DFG), was honored at a Legislative Joint Resolution presentation in April celebrating her 40 years of public service. King began her state service in the 1970s and retired as the DFG Deputy Commissioner at the end of December 2020. Mary-Lee is widely respected by her colleagues for her leadership, particularly in conservation and environmental policy.
The presentation, hosted by State Representative Kate Hogan of Stow and State Senator Jamie Eldridge of Acton, was attended by legislators, municipal, state officials, and family at the Hudson Town Hall. King was lauded for her quiet and effective behind-the scenes and trailblazing career as an advisor to governors, state senators, and state agency leaders. King was actively involved in successful political campaigns for area candidates. Her roles in state service included Chief of Staff for State Senator A. Paul Cellucci before he became Governor, and Chief Policy Advisor to former Governor Bill Weld. King later served as DFG Legislative Director before her appointment as DFG Deputy Commissioner in 2015.
In 1992, King received the Women’s Political Caucus Abigail Adams Award for outstanding women leaders in Massachusetts. During her remarks, Representative Hogan said, “Mary-Lee King broke some glass ceilings. Now if you asked her, she would say, ‘I didn’t break glass ceilings, I was just doing my job.’” In response to a reporter’s question, King said “I didn’t really think of it at the time. For so many years I was the only woman at the table, but I never thought of it that way.”
Mary-Lee King attributes her successful career to her ability to establish trusting and long-term relationships with the legislature, state agencies, and others on Beacon Hill. Her ability to work “across the aisle” in both the House and the Senate resulted in the passage of important conservation legislation during her time of service. Highlights in King’s conservation work include working on the Bottle Bill, ensuring permanent protection of state land acquisitions through the Article 97 process, and finding ways to fund environmental agencies and projects. Her commitment to public service and bipartisan approach, particularly in the realm of conservation, were praised by current Fisheries and Wildlife Board member and former Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Bob Durand, commenting, "Mary Lee King is the epitome of a public servant. She was committed, unselfish, competent and served with great intelligence for 40 years." Senator Jamie Eldridge added, “What I always appreciated was that you brought together the old school of conservationists with a newer wave of conservationists to really make a difference for people across the state.” King was presented with resolutions from the Legislature congratulating on her years of service, a proclamation from the Town of Hudson, and certificates from US Representative Lori Trahan and US Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey.
Draft Priority Habitat Map of rare species available for public comment
MassWildlife’s Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program (NHESP) is now in the process of accepting public comments on its draft 15th edition of the Natural Heritage Atlas. The Natural Heritage Atlas contains Priority Habitat maps for all-state listed rare plants and animals. These maps are primarily used for determining whether or not a proposed project must be reviewed by NHESP for compliance with the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act (MESA).
Beginning May 3 through July 3, the public has the opportunity to review the new proposed version of the updated Priority Habitat map and submit comments. For instructions on how to provide feedback, please visit mass.gov/nhesp/mapcomment.
MassWildlife re-evaluates the map every 4 years. Updates are generally due to the following factors:
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changes to the MESA species list and observation occurrences
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species are added or removed from the list
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new observations are accepted into our database
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areas mapped from old observations (greater than 25 years) are removed
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latest research about habitat utilization
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evaluation of regulatory outcomes
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improved aerial photographs and new mapping tools
NHESP is specifically requesting public comment on the status of areas proposed for delineation or removal as Priority Habitat regarding the physical or biological features of the habitat, or the current scope of existing development in the area.
NHESP is grateful for all public feedback provided to help us protect the Commonwealth’s endangered species. Click here to learn more about the work NHESP is doing to conserve rare species and their habitats throughout the Commonwealth.
Endangered Species Day
Celebrate Endangered Species Day on May 21! More than 425 plants and animals are considered rare in Massachusetts. MassWildlife's Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program helps conserve and protect these species through research, education, regulations, land protection, and more. Want to learn how you can support these species? Visit mass.gov/supportnhesp.