Photo by Patricia O’Blenes Confluence of factors come to play in death of trees Photo by Patricia O’Blenes Advertisement HARRISON TOWNSHIP — Even in broad daylight, it looks like a scene from a scary movie. Large, black birds line the branches of trees with no leaves — dead and dying trees whose dry branches stand in stark contrast to lush green grasses and foliage. But what has caused the demise of some trees on an island across from the marinas at Lake St. Clair Metropark? The answer is not as clear as it may seem. The large black birds are double-crested cormorants, a native species of water bird in Michigan, according to Holly Vaughn, public outreach and engagement unit manager for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.