Ice on Lake Michigan proving fatal to waterfowl

Chicago Tribune ^ | 3/12/14 | Meredith Rodriguez

[Libloather]

**SNIP**

Tens of thousands of diving ducks and other waterfowl spend their winters in the southwest part of Lake Michigan each year, said Douglas Stotz, conservation ecologist and ornithologist at the Field Museum. Most years, they fly from places like Canada and Alaska and spend their time here diving for mollusks and fish without major problems.

But then came Chicago’s frigid winter, which as recently as last weekend had blanketed about 93 percent of Lake Michigan in ice.

Hundreds of waterfowl likely have died as a result, experts say, many more are near starvation and a winter storm — the likes of which Chicago experienced Tuesday night — could put even more at risk.

[BykrBayb]

Poor birds. How touching.

[Safetgiver]

This isn’t a joke for the birds, I’m sure......This is natural selection before your eyes. Birds find it easy to thrive most years in winter when they should be going south. Comes along a winter like this and those who got adjusted die off, thereby cleansing the gene pool back to closer what they were supposed to do. Doves around here are in the same predicament. They were hanging out year long and this winter can’t find food (except from those idiots who are throwing out food for the birds). Straightens the gene pool out, a little, to get rid the abberations.