Springfield investigates dead crows

SPRINGFIELD - Officials were trying to determine why several hundred crows are dead along a section of railroad tracks.

The crows were reported Tuesday near Helmer Road in Springfield. Most were on the east side of the roadway, stretching at least 200 yards. Some people estimated as many as 300 of the birds were dead.

Mary Lutzke and her daughter, Kristin Jordan, stopped to see the dead birds and had questions about how and why they all died.

"I love crows," Lutzke said. "Their sound brings me back to my childhood. They are smart and intelligent."

Springfield City Manager Nathan Henne also stopped along the tracks after receiving calls about the bird kill.

Henne said he would contact the Michigan Department of Natural Resources about the birds.

Contact Trace Christenson at 966-0685 or tchrist@battlecreekenquirer.com. Follow him on Twitter: @TSChristenson.