MILBRIDGE — A Maine wildlife warden says a bald eagle was apparently electrocuted when a lamprey eel it had captured came in contact with power lines in Milbridge.
Scott Osgood says it was one of the more unusual bald eagle deaths he’s ever investigated.
The banded raptor was found dead in April, with the 2½-foot eel by its side.
Osgood tells the Lewiston Sun Journal that he suspects the eagle caught the eel in a nearby bay and was flying over power lines with the eel dangling from its talons. The eel came in contact with the power line, killing predator and prey.
Another surprise came when leg bands revealed the eagle had lived 31 years, considerably longer than the typical lifespan for a bald eagle that reaches adulthood.
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