Sugarloaf Cove offers March 14 presentation on Mercury Measurement in Birds of Prey

There is relatively little known about mercury levels in wild birds of prey, and there will be an opportunity to learn more at this weekend’s presentation at Sugarloaf Cove Nature Center in Schroeder. WTIP host Jana Berka spoke with Ted Keyel of UMD on North Shore Morning.

(Photo by Keith Carver on Flickr) 

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Birds of Prey and Mercury
Saturday, March 14 at 10 am
Sugarloaf Cove Nature Center

Mercury levels vary across species and within species. While mercury levels are widely studied in birds, there is relatively little known about mercury levels in wild birds of prey. UMD graduate student, Ted Keyel, will describe his work collecting and analyzing breast feathers for mercury content from raptors banded at Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory in Duluth, MN. The goal of this study is to create a baseline data set of mercury levels in raptors.