Ducks Dying From Starvation As Lake Ice Cuts Them Off From Food Source

CHICAGO (CBS) — This bitterly cold winter seems to be wearing down everyone. It’s also having a dramatic impact on the ducks who usually flourish along the shores of Lake Michigan.

CBS 2′s Chris Martinez reports ducks have been dying for a lack of food.

“We’ve brought in close to 40 ducks so far,” said Josh Engel, a research assistant at the Field Museum.

The bodies are now gathered in a Field Museum lab with other waterfowl that have been collected along the lakefront in recent days.

All of them were starved to death.

Record amounts of ice coating the lake is to blame, keeping the birds from their only source of food.

“It just seems like they literally can’t find enough food and are starving,” said Engel.

The dozens found dead so far are likely just the tip of it.

“This is, at least as far as I know, the first time I’ve heard of anything like this,” said Engel. [link to chicago.cbslocal.com]