>> Birding enthusiasts in Chicago have been treated to some unusual sightings over the winter as migratory ducks chill-out along our waterways.

But in the process of photographing these visitors, some people have managed to document something else altogether.

They captured an image of an invasive species that happened to be a key piece of evidence for researchers at Loyola University, Chicago to use here to break down all the twists and turns of this story is W T Tw News reporter Patty, what Lee, OK, Patty, there's a lot going on is a lot going on.

were gonna start docks.

Yes, I'm OK, so we've got a photo was released showing a duck, even a crayfish.

Yes.

What is so special about that photo?

So many things special about it.

First, it was a white wind scooter.

>> Which they breed up in northern Canada.

They usually spend the winters along the coast.

So to have them here is interesting to have one in the Chicago River instead of on open water of the lake was what drew so many people to River Park, which is not that far from the studio here in the North side, people they could get closer views of it.

And one fellow Mike McCauley who shares pictures with me caught one diving, came back up.

Has he snapped the photo crayfish its mouth and people are like that's a big crayfish.

It is.

It's red swamp crayfish, which is invasive and really only found in that stretch of the Chicago River.

And there are researchers.

Rubin Keller has a lab at Loyola University studying those crayfish in the river there.

And they had always suspected that birds were maybe eating them, had no way of proving it.

This photo 100% proves without a doubt that crayfish are being eaten by the birds.

And that's important because with the research also showed was that these crayfish full of micro-plastics.

And so proving that the birds are eating them, that's showing one-way.

That microplastics might be moving up.

The food chain.

So Yang, good bad to see it happening.

And I just very so this picture than this evidence, very helpful for the researchers at Loyola.

Yeah, because otherwise, you know, these crayfish are in the murky Chicago River.

You have no way.

How are you ever going to capture a diving bird under water?

>> Ending one of these, you know, but they said it's so helpful.

Birders know where to go to get these photos.

They're out there with their amazing equipment that can zoom in on these things.

So it's a great example of, you know, community science or just how an everyday person observations can actually help with scientific discovery through exciting.

So what is what's been the focus of the research for the Loyola researchers?

>> I mean, they're looking at this invasive It is really very limited to that stretch of the Chicago River right now.

These can outcompete so many other things, but it's it's that.

>> They are such a source of food.

For fish and for birds, but also they themselves like they said, they're not selective in what they eat.

So they just hoover up, whatever is on the ground.

And they said they were finding fiber of micro-plastics stuck inside these crayfish.

That they can't expel and it's like we have no idea.

How is this affecting the crayfish?

And now that a bird is eating it whole consuming it, assuming that fiber ball is going with It brought up so many more questions so so many and more questions, so much more research.

But they do know now you now.

>> 100% sure birds are eating these great ideas that are top people on that.

Their own and not only search for them to do