Echo

Why songbirds stop in Toronto for a tune-up

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(ON) The Toronto Star – A magnetic formation running deep beneath Toronto might explain why songbirds head straight here on their spring migration. Instead of skirting Canada’s largest city, chirping birds by the tens of thousands hone in on the place as though following a compass. “For some reason Toronto attracts birds,” says Ralph Toninger, manager of Tommy Thompson Park, jutting into Lake Ontario south of downtown from Leslie St. More

Wildlife

Bald eagle soars off Michigan’s endangered list

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After decades of recuperation, the bald eagle population in Michigan has risen to a level that has prompted officials to remove the bird from the state endangered species list.

“In the 1950s and 1960s, chemicals in pesticides had an impact on many birds at the top of the food chain,” said Christopher Hoving, endangered species coordinator at the Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Echo

Michigan bill preserves hunting access; seeks to distinguish land protections for warblers from those of turkeys

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By Joe Vaillancourt
Capital News Service

While hunting around 25 years ago, Dennis Fijalkowski used a turkey call on a late April morning in Oscoda County. A turkey called back–but he couldn’t shoot because it hid behind a sign that said Kirtland’s warbler, the rarest bird in Michigan, was known to inhabit the area so all hunting was prohibited. Frustrated, Fijalkowski was forced to skip the turkey, although warblers aren’t there that time of year. Things may soon change for hunters involved in similar scenarios. A resurrected bill would require the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to keep state land open for hunting seasons unless there are legitimate concerns for the environment or hunter.