By Kevin Lavery
MSU researchers at the Burke Lake Banding Station document the size of an adult female rusty blackbird, whose numbers have plummeted over the last 40 years. Image: WKAR, Kevin Lavery
Current State‘s Kevin Lavery meets up with volunteers banding birds at the Burke Lake Banding Station this week.
How many times have you planned a little winter getaway vacation, and when it was over you came back home having gained a few pounds? Now that it’s getting colder, we all know birds like to take winter trips, but they bulk up a bit before they travel. Birds need to build up their fat reserves to have the energy for that incredibly long migration south.
Most birds in Michigan fly to the tropics. The Kirtland’s Warbler, for example, has standing reservations in the Bahamas.
Current State’s Kevin Lavery took a little trip to the woods this week to learn more.
This segment was produced by WKAR’s Current State and is reproduced with permission.