Wildlife authorities are on the lookout for someone who messed with our national bird: According to a release, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is offering a $1,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of someone who destroyed an active bald eagle nest on private land on West Lamberth Road in Sherman in 2023.

On February 15, 2023, a concerned citizen reported the presence of an active bald eagle nest on a private property being developed for a subdivision. A Texas game warden visited the location, verified the nest and observed two bald eagles sitting atop it.

But less than a week later, the nest had been destroyed — confirmed on February 20, 2023 by agents with the Service’s Office of Law Enforcement, responding to reports of the nest's destruction.

The release leaves out a lot of details. For example, if the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service knew the nest was there, why and how did they allow the nest to be subsequently destroyed?

Issuing a relatively paltry $1,500 reward for information more than a year after the fact seems like an unserious response.

Bald eagles were removed from Endangered Species Act protection in June 2007 after being declared recovered, due in part to habitat protection and protection from human-caused disturbance. However, they remain protected by the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Killing or disturbing an eagle or its feathers, nests or eggs, is a violation of these acts.

The maximum penalty is one year in jail and $100,000 per individual or $200,000 per organization for the first offense. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act carries maximum penalties ranging from six months to one year in jail and fines of up to $250,000 per individual, depending on whether an individual is convicted of a misdemeanor or a felony.

In the bird world, being a bald eagle is pretty cushy. Compare it to being a chicken on a factory farm, or even worse a chicken on a farm getting "culled" to prevent avian flu.

Anyone with information regarding the destruction of this eagle nest is asked to contact the Service’s Office of Law Enforcement in Fort Worth, Texas (817-334-5202) or the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Operation Game Thief hotline (800-792-GAME). Callers with information may remain anonymous.