Photo Gallery: Migratory Birds Struggle with Wintry Spring

Weak and exhausted from their long journey, migratory birds are struggling to find enough food in Germany, where spring has yet to arrive. Large flocks have gathered in milder regions, where they are trying to find food to survive. Other flocks have simply flown south again. Here, cranes in the state of Hesse search for food in a field on March 28.Here, geese fly over a field in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein in mid-March. This year's unusually long winter means many migratory birds have yet to reach their breeding grounds, choosing to stick around milder regions until the weather turns.Enormous flocks of birds that German reports are calling "bird jams" have been spotted around the country, and authorities in Hesse have even closed certain hiking trails to keep humans from disturbing the weakened birds.Cranes in a field in the northern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in mid-March. Conditions still aren't right for breeding due to the wintry spring weather.Snow still covers the ground in many parts of the country, making it difficult to find both food and appropriate breeding grounds, according to Eric Neuling, an ornithologist at the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) in Berlin. Here, cranes in a cornfield in the state of Saxony-AnhaltPeople should avoid disturbing or feeding birds the see, because this causes them to use too much energy in their weakened state.