The bald eagle is a large and powerful bird, with males usually weighing from 7 - 10 pounds with a wingspan of more than 6 feet, and females usually weighing up to 14 pounds with a wingspan up to 8 feet. In 1782, the bald eagle was selected by our Founding Fathers as the emblem of our nation.

This encounter occurred in November 2004, around 5 p.m. as a northbound CN freight train crew approached the Warroad port. The train crew notified the CBP officers that the train had to make an unscheduled stop at the port before entering Canada. They reported that as the train was moving down the tracks, a bald eagle flew into the front of the train. When CBP Officers Robert Johnson and Nathan Heyer arrived at the scene, they found the bald eagle wedged into the front of the train. It wasn’t clear if the eagle was hurt seriously or not because it was not moving. Bald eagles are protected under the National Emblem Act of 1940, also known as the Bald Eagle Protection Act, and are further protected under the Endangered Species Act, which carries stiff penalties for killing, harassing, possessing or selling bald eagles. The officers first contacted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service who were not available to help at that time.

Photo Credit: Port Warroad

The bald eagle is wedged into the front of the train after being hit at 50 miles per hour.

Officers caught the eagle inside a sleeping bag to protect it from further injury. Once the eagle was untangled from the front of the train, the bird immediately tried to spread its wings and hopped out of the bag. The eagle continued to hop about the tracks heading northbound; it finally spread it’s enormous wings and took flight as if nothing had ever happened. The CBP officers stood in awe as the eagle flew away after being hit by a freight train moving 50 miles per hour. This lone encounter reinforces the strength that our Founding Fathers saw in the bald eagle and why it symbolizes strength and courage to the America people. CJ