Q: Can anyone without a permit legally pick up dead birds and take them to a museum?
A: No.
"Under the "good faith" clause(s?) of said regulations folks can posess dead birds for a short period of time with the intent of getting them to an institution that can use them. This includes some universities and the Maine State Museum. "
This is wrong. No such clause exists. It is illegal to pick up birds without a permit (only a few exceptions that don't apply to most people). Permitted institutions may take the birds brought in this way, but that doesn't mean the well-meaning person that brought them is absolved. This comes up annually, and I thought it was important to clarify. There IS an exception for sick and injured birds. Anyone can pick those up and transport directly to a permitted rehabilitation facility, like Avian Haven.
As someone who has worked at a museum, lots of great information potentially can come from incidental recoveries like this. We have advocated changes, and those are in the works, e.g. "conservation education" permits that would potentially allow for citizen salvage supervised by a permitted researcher. (http://www.fws.gov/policy/library/2010/2010-23342.html)
In the case of the Pine Grosbeaks, it would be interesting to determine their geographic origin, although all the males I have seen and all the birds that I've heard calling sound like the widespread taiga populations. Specimens provide a great deal more information than a photograph; so it is always desirable to find a way to preserve casualties.
One possible solution is to photograph the dead bird, record its location, and notify a permitted individual who might be able to recover the body. Folks with federal banding permits (banders) can pick up casualties legally, and they would be one possible resource along with anyone at a museum or rehab facility. It might be good for our birding community to build a resource list like this.
It is no fun to be prosecuted for doing a good deed; so my advice is to comply with both the state and federal regulations regarding salvage of dead birds. Maine has it's own special story in this regard. Nat Wheelwright at Bowdoin was threatened with jail and huge fines for a minor misunderstanding involving 7 dead birds he picked up. His ordeal is recounted here:
Even those doing research with permits need to be very careful. Another relevant article is here:
The Code of Federal Regulations are here:
Louis Bevier
Fairfield
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