Minnesota birds at risk in the Gulf of Mexico

Oily bird
An oiled bird lies on the beach at East Grand Terre Island along the Louisiana coast after being drenched in oil from the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill Thursday, June 3, 2010.
Charlie Riedel/ASSOCIATED PRESS

As oil continues to spew into the gulf of Mexico, a group of wildlife experts met this morning to discuss the fate of Minnesota birds that will soon migrate to the Gulf.

About half-a-million ducks, for example, will head that direction this fall. Some birds just pass through the gulf region on their winter migration path, but others -- like the common loon -- spend their whole winter in the waters of the gulf.

This year, what waters they choose to land in could make the difference between life and death.

Carrol Henderson is a non-game wildlife expert at the Department of Natural Resources.