# Ice cover threat for Michigan Waterfowl



## Zorba (Jan 24, 2007)

By DARCIE MORAN Special to the Record-Eagle Traverse City Record-Eagle The Record Eagle Sun Feb 16, 2014, 06:00 AM EST 
LANSING &#8212; Near-record ice and less open water on the Great Lakes are a growing concern for the safety of waterfowl in Michigan.
Licensed wildlife rehabilitators say they have seen a &#8220;profound&#8221; increase in reports of waterfowl stranded on roadways that they confuse with open water.
Once they land, some so-called "diver" birds cannot take off again because their bodies are adapted to lifting off from water.
Northernaire Wildlife Rescue owner Susan Good said she&#8217;s fielded at least 50 calls this year about stranded waterfowl. Typically her Cheboygan County business receives about six stranded bird reports each year.
The Department of Natural Resources Traverse City Field Office has dealt with at least 20 to 25 incidents of waterfowl stranded on roadways this year, up from about one case a year, wildlife habitat biologist Steve Griffith said. Several were run over by cars.
&#8220;They could starve if they&#8217;re left there,&#8221; said Katie Keen, a Department of Natural Resources wildlife technician in Cadillac.
The increase in ice this year may have left waterfowl struggling to find open water, Keen said.
On Feb. 12, total ice area on the Great Lakes reached about 88.4 percent, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Great Lakes Forecasting System. The ice cover is up from 79.7 percent the previous week and nearing the 1979 record of 95 percent ice cover on the Great Lakes, according to administration data.
A high number of reports of stranded waterfowl have come in from across the state, Keen said. But reports from the Lower Peninsula aren&#8217;t surprising to one rehabilitator.
About three weeks ago, Jerry Maynard, president and founder of Chocolay Raptor Center in Marquette County, noticed flocks of birds headed south and similar reports on bird observation blogs.
He said he hasn&#8217;t seen many waterfowl in weeks &#8212; a strange occurrence for an area that typically offers many bodies of open water.
It&#8217;s likely the birds headed south to escape harsher weather conditions in the Upper Peninsula, he said.
Grebes, mergansers and several species of duck have legs placed so far back on their bodies that they can only take off from water, not solid surfaces, Keen said. As a result, waterfowl that mistake shiny, icy roads for open water could face possible starvation without assistance.
The birds are traumatized and aren&#8217;t applying their natural water-repellent oils to their feathers, Good said. Because they can&#8217;t move to attain food, they become dehydrated in addition to being hypothermic and starving.
Most waterfowl in the state should be safe from dangerous roadways because they fly south, said Kristin Schrader, spokeswoman for Ducks Unlimited. But some that decided to stay after finding open water where they could eat earlier in the year might now be in trouble.
&#8220;They&#8217;re economical with their calories,&#8221; Schrader said. &#8220;The ones that stayed didn&#8217;t make the best decision.&#8221;
The especially harsh winter has put all wildlife at risk, Schrader said, adding that many birds that could have survived Michigan&#8217;s winter in previous years are now at higher risk of death whether they get stranded on roadways or not.
If ice cover on the Great Lakes and inland bodies of water continues to grow, several experts said fatalities and incidences of stranded waterfowl could increase.
Would-be rescuers should carefully approach the animal to see if it can fly away, Good said. A bird thrashing on land could also be stranded.
If the bird is stranded, don&#8217;t try to rescue it but call a licensed rehabilitator through the county listings on the Department of Natural Resources website at www.michigandnr.com/dlr, Good said.
If people believe a bird needs to be immediately removed from the roadway, Maynard suggested wrapping it in a jacket and carrying it firmly but not too hard.
Good said the bird can be picked up and placed in a container with towels or blankets. The animals should be warmed and given water, but not food because the animal&#8217;s digestive system likely cannot process it.
Uninjured birds should eventually be reintroduced to open water, Good said. 
The winter&#8217;s hazards for waterfowl should not have a significant impact on the ecosystem, Good said.
DARCIE MORAN writes for Michigan


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## sswhitelightning (Dec 14, 2004)

It's pretty sad. I been bird watching all over Michigan and seeing hundreds of birds packed in tight water holes. I can't help but think they are all going to starve to death.


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## omni22 (Feb 3, 2010)

Seen a nice Drake squaw sitting in the snow on bay yesterday. He had no problem jumping up and flying away.

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## redneckman (Dec 7, 2005)

Saw a few road kill ducks on 23 around Oscoda last week. One looked to be a mallard and others looked like divers.

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## TSS Caddis (Mar 15, 2002)

When you have 10's of thousands of wintering old squaw on the great lakes, not good for them if the lakes freeze over.


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## Gander Club (Dec 31, 2004)

I seen two swans trying to land on I-94 by the big tire last Thursday.


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## PhilBernardi (Sep 6, 2010)

Those that can't adapt, die. 

Theory of large numbers applies to this IMHO. 

They and we will be fine over the long run where this issue is concerned.


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## PhilBernardi (Sep 6, 2010)

TSS Caddis said:


> When you have 10's of thousands of wintering old squaw on the great lakes, not good for them if the lakes freeze over.


And they will get off their arses when they have to and fly south, or if their adaptive ways can't make them, they will perish.


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## Big Honkers (Dec 20, 2008)

Gander Club said:


> I seen two swans trying to land on I-94 by the big tire last Thursday.



If they had orange bills, i hope their landing was successful. 


...although, I cant say I'd want to hit one of those traveling at highway speeds.


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## Divers Down (Mar 31, 2008)

Very sad indeed

http://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Threats...s-Causing-Extreme-Weather/Winter-Weather.aspx


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## mi duckdown (Jul 1, 2006)

Phil is correct. It is what it is. can't change it.


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## PhilBernardi (Sep 6, 2010)

mi duckdown said:


> Phil is correct. It is what it is. can't change it.


Thank you, Jim. 

I have an itch to shoot some pheasant at Bruce Farms....


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## sswhitelightning (Dec 14, 2004)

I just found a drake white wing on the sidewalk. He was very alert but in no mood to fly. Police are relocating it. I think they thought it was a cormorant. Also a dead one on the manistee river in town. Very sad


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## Nuff Daddy (Dec 5, 2012)

Saw about 20 mallards flying down the Kawkawlin river today. And one hen in a little puddle of water on the ice. The little warm up must have them exploring all the new puddles around.


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## TSS Caddis (Mar 15, 2002)

PhilBernardi said:


> And they will get off their arses when they have to and fly south, or if their adaptive ways can't make them, they will perish.


With the way the lakes are frozen now, most likely that Lake Michigan squaw will just die. I can't imagine that 200' of water is ideal mussel feeding grounds and there is a lot of ice between where they r and any suitable place for them to stop


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## adam bomb (Feb 27, 2006)

We have a bubbler by our dock and we have had 6 common mergs and 2 mallards dead in there so far. All the mergs and 1 mallard in the last week and a half. Sad...I follow David Stimac Photography on FB and he has seen lots of dead waterfowl all over the state while he's taking photos.


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## idylmoments (Apr 28, 2002)

Saw a dead mallard in the snowbank on the side of the road today. Going to be a rough year for any birds that tried riding it out. But there should be plenty of good nesting water for returning birds.


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## Timber (Jan 1, 2009)

TSS Caddis said:


> With the way the lakes are frozen now, most likely that Lake Michigan squaw will just die. I can't imagine that 200' of water is ideal mussel feeding grounds and there is a lot of ice between where they r and any suitable place for them to stop


Hoping this wind has broke up some of the ice on MI for them.

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## Timber (Jan 1, 2009)

Lake Michigan
Looking at these photos as long as it doesn't freeze much more I think they will be okay. But you never know.
Hoping that's for sure!

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## sswhitelightning (Dec 14, 2004)

Timber said:


> Lake Michigan
> Looking at these photos as long as it doesn't freeze much more I think they will be okay. But you never know.
> Hoping that's for sure!
> 
> Sent from my QMV7A using Ohub Campfire mobile app


Are these to date pics? I saw a pic of lake mich that only had a sliver of open water down the middle. It was covered way more than these pics. Maybe wind opened thin ice back up?


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## waxico (Jan 21, 2008)

Believe it or not there were 3 dead Red Breasted lawn darts on the shoulder of I 94 in Detroit this AM.

Now I've seen everything...


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## Contender (May 18, 2004)

Was going to start a thread, but noticed this one...

St Clair River system is loaded with ducks, hanging in the open water. Great time for pics, for all of you duck watchers out there. There are 1000s of Cans, RHs, buffs, mergs and BBs there. Plus puddlers and geese.

Unfortunatley, LOTS and I mean LOTS, of casualties from the winter.
Also can't help but notice, many are unusually small compared to normal times. Alot of the Cans are smaller than lesser scaup! Clearly look like they are starving. 

2 cans & 2 RHs were hit by cars Sunday nite 3/9, at Algonac State Park. Appearantly walking across M29. Heard about others being hit too. I was stunned to see these. At 4pm & 6pm no dead ducks on M29, but at 8pm the 4 I mention, were fresh road kills. Not a group either, spaced out over the length of the park. (I actually turned around to check them out, not believing what I had seen)

Earlier in the day, sitting at Sombra/MC ferry, noticed atleast 15-20 dead floaters drift by. (not sleeping, as in belly side up) Found another 20 dead in the Flamigo & Colony canal system on Saturday. 

Real bummer.


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## waxico (Jan 21, 2008)

Contender, I haven't been to the island lately. Is there enough open water to open up the feed beds in the river?

Because I would have thought things had opened up a little lately, enough to feed the 4 divers you saw killed walking in the road!

I knew this was going to happen, even as early as January. They were going to be crowded into small areas that would quickly be fed out.

But atleast the survivors will fortify the gene pool, as god intended.

Thanks for the update. As I said, I-94 and Connor on the shoulder is a weird place to find dead mergies.


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## Contender (May 18, 2004)

Hard to say Wax, in places, I would say yes. 

On Sunday nearly all of LSC, South Channel (from Wapole ferry down) & I heard the Middle Channel, were still ice packed or froze tight.

North Channel was tight since late December. It broke free recently, but you know pack ice will change daily.

SCR was 'mainly' open from Sarnia to just above the State Park. 

Expect bad ice jamming soon. Lake Huron has lots of ice, and the actual shipping season starts soon. Note - the ice breakers haven't quit all year, nor did shipping, due to salt & crude oil demand.


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## sswhitelightning (Dec 14, 2004)

I found another bird today just outside tc. A drake redbreast hit by car. I've come across several scoter, squaw, bb, and grebes up this way. Saw a video online of a guy picking up a bb in road near pentwater I believe. It looked pretty skinny. Saw a few dead birds on Erie this past weekend as well. Last week I saw a dead swan on the Muskegon backwaters. Came across two yearling fawns that finally couldn't take it and died under a local farmers apple tree. Took couple months to pick left over apples, but once they were gone they starved. Sad but not much to be done.


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## Contender (May 18, 2004)

Had a friend a week or so back, that had a drake common merg land in their driveway. They live a little ways inland in Casco Twp.

The nursed it a few days, and drove it to the SCR to release it.


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## countryboy17 (Nov 25, 2010)

I was fishing at the hotponds tonight on Saginaw bay and we counted 10 dead ducks washed up and 1 dead swan. There were a mix of bluebills, goldeneyes, a dead old squaw and a grebe


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## Shiawassee_Kid (Nov 28, 2000)

http://news.yahoo.com/fish-eating-ducks-hard-hit-severe-winter-ice-163621475.html


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## sswhitelightning (Dec 14, 2004)

Birds are dead all over Lk Michigan. Crows are feasting. Saw a mink eating on a drake scoter but I botched the pic.


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## sswhitelightning (Dec 14, 2004)




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## Contender (May 18, 2004)

At least 4-5 new carcasses near the Sombra ferry on the SCR. 

On the bright side, there is lots of open water currently in the SCR, and the divers were feeding big time. Tons of ducks working the ice line on the Canadian side. 

The birds yesterday, looked a lot better than they have the past few weeks. 

Snow owls, crows, and Eagle were all hanging around the area. So guessing they are eating good.


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## T1basser (Oct 11, 2004)

From the office I counted 80+ dead ones on Lake Michigan the other day...and I'm sure there were a lot more.


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## Anish (Mar 6, 2009)

A week ago a friend of mine found a loon down in the road. Still alive, got it to a rehab center and its now been released. Diagnosis was exhaustion. There's a part of our pond that never closes and so far, we have had 3 swans, one GoldenEye, and a hand full of geese drop by. They are trying to come back. If you find a downed bird and can't find a rehabilitator, PM me and I'll put you in touch with one.


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## 2508speed (Jan 6, 2011)

Those little Jincos, is that what they call them? will be back any day now too. They like to fly into bay windows. Try to keep your slat blinds partially closed. They tend to fly into windows. Also had a little owl fly into widow a couple years ago. Luckily it just stunned it. After half hour he flew off. That,s how I learned about the blinds on windows.


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## 2508speed (Jan 6, 2011)

Juncos. Not a duck though.


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## Anish (Mar 6, 2009)

Junco = Very small nonaquatic duck


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## 2508speed (Jan 6, 2011)

Anish said:


> Junco = Very small nonaquatic duck


Yup! lol Wrong forum! Just keep your blinds closed though! lol


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## Timber (Jan 1, 2009)

Man that article Kid posted is pretty sad, hope the bird found a spot to eat. A Buddy said there where a bunch of dead mergs and buffies on West Bay in TC when he was out ice fishing, not good!


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## Shiawassee_Kid (Nov 28, 2000)

another video on it. like the pronunciation of "scoter" in it.

http://www.weather.com/video/winter-killing-off-duck-population-45680


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