Icy Lakes, Storms Ground Loons, Grebes in Minnesota

DULUTH (AP) - Frozen lakes and the recent spring snowstorms have grounded migrating loons and grebes in northern Wisconsin and Minnesota.

The storms forced birds down in areas where they normally wouldn't stop, and the lack of open water has given many of the aquatic birds little or no place to take off or land.

Marge Gibson, director of the Raptor Education Center in Antigo, Wis., says her center has rescued 51 loons in the past two weeks. She says the loons generally have been in decent shape, but sometimes they need to be cleaned and fed before being released on large lakes to the south where the ice is already out.

The Duluth-based Wildwoods Rehabilitation Center has rescued one loon but well over a dozen grebes.