BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 12, 2025
A woman shared a video of a bald eagle that her husband had taken with his cell phone while fishing. In the video, a bald eagle flew down to the water’s surface, snatched up a fish, then flew off. “My husband found [a feather from the eagle] and gave it to our son as a present,” she said. I knew that it was illegal to possess a bald eagle feather without a federal permit. It is a federal Class A misdemeanor with a $100,000 fine. The parents left the decision to the boy about what to do with the feather. He decided to turn it over to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Service. I know the boy was sad to turn over the feather, but I noticed that both the dad and the boy seemed to stand a little taller as they walked away, with the father’s hand on his son’s shoulder. ~ Richard Spinney