We're still looking for help with a baseline survey of birds . anyone want
to help?  It's not a huge area and wouldn't take more than a couple of hours
to hear/see whoever is there.  We have now cleared the Canada thistle from
about a third of the middle of the field, inviting the birds back home to
the center, surrounded by the forest with a lovely stream.  Thanks,  Bonnie
Coe AU Park DC 

  _____  

From:  [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: Sunday, May 25, 2008 10:42 PM
To: ; 
Cc: 
Subject: Seneca grasslands restoration

 

Good news!
             I was able to confirm the presence of Eastern Meadowlarks today
in the Seneca Field. Their presence this time of year is generally
conclusive of breeding birds.  
             Meadowlarks are one of the "suite of obligate grassland
species" that we are targeting for this transition to native habitat. This
is encouraging early success.
             This is significant validation of the approach to habitat
renovation that we have been working on in the field. Any nesting birds
would surely have been destroyed by mowing the field to remove Thistle about
to bloom during the last two weeks of May. 
             It is hard to put a value on the current young generation of
Sturnella magna, but, with nearly 90% declines of this species in our state,
I would say that this new generation is quite valuable.
             Below is an excerpt from a study about the breeding/territory
requirements and the adverse impact of mowing. 
             Thanks to all for your hard work. 
                   Randy 301-440-8915
             
             


       "Mowing may be detrimental to Eastern Meadowlarks during the breeding
season due to nest destruction. In Kansas, mowing caused nest failure and in
some cases abandonment of mowed fields (Granfors 1992). Mowing destroyed 32
of 182 nests in Illinois hayfields (Roseberry and Klimstra 1970). In
Michigan, Eastern Meadowlarks successfully fledged one brood before mowing
occurred, but ceased breeding activities in those fields after the fields
were mowed (Harrison 1974). For Eastern Meadowlarks nesting at rural
Illinois airports, nest success decreased as mowing frequency and percent
grass cover increased (Kershner and Bollinger 1996). Nest success increased
as percentages of cover by clover (scientific name not given) and other
forbs increased. Mowing was the primary disturbance responsible for low nest
productivity. The authors suggested that rural airports may be ecological
traps because nest density of Eastern Meadowlarks was high but nest success
was low. Mowed fields continued to be used as foraging sites. In Illinois
hayfields, abundance of Eastern Meadowlarks was similar between mowed and
unmowed areas (Herkert 1991a). Mowed sites were cut 1-4 mo before 1 May,
whereas unmowed sites were uncut for at least 12 mo before 1 May. In another
Illinois study, Eastern Meadowlarks preferred tame hayland composed of
several grass species over hayfields of red clover (Trifolium pratense) or
alfalfa (Medicago sativa) (Roseberry and Klimstra 1970). Alfalfa was not
used in constructing the nest bowl; red clover was used but in conjunction
with fine-stemmed grasses. Meadowlarks probably nested in clover because of
grass invasion that provided some nesting cover, whereas alfalfa fields did
not provide good grass cover. Mowing also resulted in more grass cover than
in unmowed fields."


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