MICHIGAN, USA — Two bald eagles have died after being hit by cars in two separate incidents in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, DNR officials say.
The first happened on Dec. 9, when an eagle was hit in Luce County.
Michigan DNR biologists believe the eagle was eating a deer carcass along M-28 between McMillan and Seney before it was hit.
DNR biologist Kristie Sitar said there are a lot of deer migration trails in that area.
"Folks don't live up here and don't know that, and they're going to be more apt to hit some of those deer," said Sitar.
Sitar said the eagle was banded 20 years ago, meaning state biologists have been monitoring the eagle since it was an eaglet.
Because of the hit, the bird ended up paralyzed. Despite efforts to rehabilitate the bird, biologists made the decision to put it down after it did not improve during treatment, Sitar said.
DNR treating bald eagle that was hit by car in UP
The second incident happened one day later on Dec. 10.
DNR biologists say they received a report of a vehicle that hit an eagle along U.S. Highway 2 in Mackinac County, west of Engadine.
The bird was found dead in the middle of the road when DNR officials got there.
The two incidents both happened on roads where the speed limit is 65 miles per hour, according to Sitar. She said incidents where eagles are killed by vehicles has increased, especially since speed limits have increased.
"I think the biggest thing that the public can do is to slow down," said Sitar. "When you see birds on the side of the road like that, slow down because there's very likely an eagle there, and an eagle is not going to be able to get out of the way fast enough."
Sitar also warns that other birds, like eagles, are attracted to dead animals that are on the side of the road. But oftentimes, those carcasses sit too close to the road.
"One of the things that that a lot of our staff try to do is to pull those carcasses further off the road, just to get them out of the way," said Sitar. "That way, if an eagle is scared off by traffic and wants to fly, it's got a lot more room."
"They also, with that really big wingspan, need a lot of space. The best place to find a lot of space is over an open road without trees," Sitar said.
While they don't recommend people pull dead deer carcasses off the road themselves, if you do find yourself in a situation where you've hit a deer and you're removing that from the road, Sitar says to move it farther off the edge of the road.
If you hit an eagle, you need to report it, Sitar said.
You can do so by calling the DNR poaching line at 800-292-7800.
According to numbers from the World Population Review, Michigan is home to only 800 breeding pairs of bald eagles. That's the seventh-highest number in the country.
