This story is a bit off the beaten path for us, but it highlights a serious problem that largely flies under the media radar and is something of a personal crusade for me. It involves some men in the Pacific Northwest who have been running an illegal "bird trafficking" ring for multiple years. They have killed thousands of endangered birds, including eagles. They would take the birds' feathers and bodies and sell them to Native American tribe members who use the parts in ritual ceremonies. Now some of them have been arrested and are being brought to justice, though how much justice will be delivered remains to be seen. Travis Branson of Washington will plead guilty to multiple counts of wildlife trafficking. (Associated Press)

A Washington state man accused of helping kill more than 3,000 birds — including eagles on a Montana Indian reservation — then illegally selling their carcasses and feathers intends to plead guilty to illegal wildlife trafficking and other criminal charges, court documents show.

Federal prosecutors say Travis John Branson and others killed about 3,600 birds during a yearslong “killing spree” on the Flathead Indian Reservation and elsewhere. Feathers and other parts of eagles and other birds are highly prized among many Native American tribes for use in sacred ceremonies and during powwows.

Branson of Cusick, Washington, will plead guilty under an agreement with prosecutors to reduced charges including conspiracy, wildlife trafficking and two counts of unlawful trafficking of eagles, according to court documents filed Tuesday. The documents did not detail how many birds he will admit to killing.

A second suspect, Simon Paul of St. Ignatius, Montana, was also charged with participating in the trafficking ring. However, he failed to show up for an initial court hearing and is currently in the wind. Others are facing less serious charges, but the group's activities were reportedly numerous and they covered a lot of territory.

Given the fragile nature of the remaining habitat available to these magnificent raptors, these crimes are truly horrible. And the penalties for such attacks can be severe. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a conviction for violating the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act can result in a fine of up to $100,000 for individuals or $200,000 for organized groups, along with imprisonment for up to one year for a first offense. But whether or not Branson and Paul will face those sorts of penalties come down to our old friend "prosecutorial discretion."

Personally, I hope they throw the book at these scoundrels. The eagles and other large raptors have a hard enough time as it is with people putting up wind farms in their territory and chopping them up when they fly into the blades. Human expansion and pollution have combined to kill off or poison many of the fish and small mammals that they rely on for food. We don't need greedy monsters like these people killing them off just to sell their parts off for a profit.

A second, related question is that of whether or not the "customers" of these trafficking rings should face prosecution. The members of the native tribes who use these feathers are doing so for religious and cultural purposes, so charging them might be constitutionally problematic. Also, the federal government is often reluctant to go after indigenous people on their own lands for non-violent crimes (for obvious reasons). 

If you would like some additional exposure to these amazing birds, I would recommend that you take some time and check out the Friends of Big Bear Valley Bald Eagle Nest Cam. It's on pretty much 24/7 and it's been running for years. It tracks the comings and goings of a mated pair of bald eagles, Jackie (the mother) and Shadow (the father) using multiple cameras, one of which is mounted right beside their nest. It's currently breeding season and the pair has three eggs this year. They take turns sitting on them while the other partner flies off to hunt. The first chick is expected to hatch in the next three to five days. I spend a lot of my free time watching this cam and it always lowers my stress levels and brings me a sense of peace and hope. I'll embed the feed from camera number one below in case you would like to check it out. There is sound with the video so you can listen to the wind blow and the calls of the eagles.