Greetings,
It didn't take me too long to figure out why there was only a handful of
birds along Neabsco Creek this morning (1/25). I didn't realize that hunters
were out in the blind in the middle of the creek and all of a sudden I heard
loud gunshots. Down fell three Canada Geese on the mudflats. To my horror,
the birds thrashed about for at least four minutes before dying. What a shame
the birds weren't killed instantly instead of suffering the way they did. I
am not anti-hunting in certain cases, but unless it's done humanely, forget
it.
I got out of there quickly and headed over to Leesylvania State Park to
recover. I found no fewer than 45 Bald Eagles out on the Potomac. I walked
out to the fishing pier to scan the river and was amazed to see so many
Eagles out on the mostly iced over river. There were more out on the horizon,
but the shimmering effects on the ice and sun prevented me from getting an
accurate count. Large sheets of ice were colliding and buckling all around
me, causing the pier to shake like crazy, so I got off the pier post haste!
It truly was a beautful scene out on the Potomac this morning.
Laura Catterton
Manassas, Virginia
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