Conservation of breeding grassland birds requires local management strategies when hay maturation and nutritional quality differ among regions

Brown, Laura L.; Nocera, Joseph J.

doi:10.1016/j.agee.2016.11.004

Cited by 15 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Additionally, because paddocks often need to be grazed during the Bobolink breeding season to meet cattle production needs, management options that enable some grazing while minimizing impacts on Bobolink are also needed. Identifying stocking rates and dates of grazing that enable Bobolink nests to fledge young could lead to management strategies that may be more feasible for farmers, compared to leaving paddocks undisturbed throughout the Bobolink breeding season, because forage quality declines across the season (Brown and Nocera 2017).…”

Section: Empirical Tests Of Management Strategies Intended To Benefitmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rotational grazing of beef cattle to support Bobolink breeding success

Campomizzi¹,

Lebrun‐Southcott²,

Vliet³

et al. 2019

ACE

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Conservation actions for the federally and provincially threatened Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) in Ontario, Canada are ongoing in agricultural landscapes, including pastures. However, conditions conducive to Bobolink fledging young from breeding territories in rotationally grazed beef cattle (Bos taurus) pastures are not well understood. We tested two management strategies designed to provide habitat where Bobolink could fledge young in rotationally grazed pastures. We conducted (1) a refuge paddock experiment using a crossover design, comparing fledging success when paddocks were ungrazed in one year to when they were grazed in another year; and (2) a light spring grazing experiment. Additionally, we explored associations between fledging of young from territories with cattle stocking rate and date that cattle first entered paddocks. We used spot mapping and nest monitoring to determine if young fledged in 83 Bobolink territories in 2016 and 72 territories in 2017 on six farms in the Ottawa Valley, Ontario. In the refuge paddock experiment, 54% (N = 28) of Bobolink territories fledged young in eight ungrazed paddocks compared to 16% (N = 25) when these paddocks were grazed in another breeding season. In the light spring grazing experiment, 67% (N = 12) of territories fledged young from four paddocks that were grazed with a low stocking rate between 21 May and 03 June 2017 and not again until after 02 July. Additionally, predictions from a logistic regression model indicated that the probability of young fledging from a territory (N = 118) decreased from 0.53 to 0.04 when mid-season stocking rates increased from 0 to 174 cattle-days/ha. Our results illustrate that paddocks on rotationally grazed beef cattle farms that are ungrazed until the Bobolink breeding season is finished or grazed lightly for a brief duration soon after territories are established can provide areas that enable Bobolink to fledge young. Rotation des pâturages de b!ufs pour soutenir le succès de nidification du Goglu des prés RÉSUMÉ. Des activités de conservation visant le Goglu des prés (Dolichonyx oryzivorus), espèce menacée au niveaux fédéral et provincial en Ontario, Canada, ont cours dans les paysages agricoles, y compris les pâturages. Toutefois, on ne comprend pas bien les conditions qui favorisent l'envol des jeunes goglus de territoires de nidification situés dans des pâturages de b!ufs (Bos taurus) sous rotation. Nous avons testé deux stratégies de gestion visant à fournir de l'habitat dans lequel les goglus pouvaient mener leurs jeunes à l'envol dans des pâturages sous rotation. Nous avons effectué (1) une expérience d'enclos-refuge au moyen d'un plan d'étude croisé, comparant le succès de jeunes à l'envol lorsque des enclos ne servaient pas de pâturage une année à celui lorsque les enclos servaient de pâturage une autre année; et (2) une expérience de pâturage printanier léger. De plus, nous avons exploré les relations entre l'envol de jeunes et la densité de bétail, et la date à laquelle le bétail entrait dans l'enclos. Nous ...

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Section: Empirical Tests Of Management Strategies Intended To Benefitmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rotational grazing of beef cattle to support Bobolink breeding success

Campomizzi¹,

Lebrun‐Southcott²,

Vliet³

et al. 2019

ACE

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“…Common conservation guidelines in Ontario suggest delaying livestock grazing and hay harvest until mid‐July to avoid negative effects on nesting bobolink (MECP 2015, OSCIA 2018). Grazing livestock and harvesting hay earlier than mid‐July may be possible in some cases if bobolink are finished breeding, which would likely provide forage quality benefits (Brown and Nocera 2017). Bobolink finished breeding in some fields in late June in 2018, based on spot mapping and nest monitoring.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Common conservation practices implemented on farms to support nesting bobolink in Ontario include delaying grazing and hay harvesting until mid‐July (MECP 2015, Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association [OSCIA] 2018). Mid‐July appears to be a reasonable approximation of when bobolink finish nesting in most hay fields and pastures in southern and eastern Ontario (Renfrew et al 2015, Diemer and Nocera 2016, Brown and Nocera 2017, MacDonald and Nol 2017). The breeding phenology of bobolink and seasonal changes in forage quality of hay fields and pastures can vary geographically (Nocera et al 2005, Perlut et al 2011, Diemer and Nocera 2016).…”

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Determining When Bobolink Finish Breeding to Time Agricultural Activity in Nesting Refuges

2020

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Conservation actions are ongoing for the federally and provincially threatened bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) in Ontario, Canada because of population declines. One conservation action being implemented in agricultural grasslands is the delay of hay harvesting and livestock grazing until 15 July, a general guideline for when bobolink finish breeding. Efficient methods to assess when breeding ceases could benefit bobolink and farmers engaged in conservation by ensuring nesting is finished before agricultural activity occurs and enabling agricultural activity earlier when breeding is finished before 15 July. We conducted field surveys to assess if low‐intensity surveys (i.e., transect surveys, point counts, roadside counts) could accurately detect when bobolink finish breeding compared to intensive monitoring (i.e., spot mapping and nest monitoring). We monitored 29 pastures in 2017 in eastern Ontario and 9 hay fields, 10 restored grasslands, and 6 fallow fields in 2018 in southern Ontario. The date breeding finished varied across fields in 2017 from 13 June to 29 July and in 2018 from 24 June to 30 July, based on spot mapping and nest monitoring. Transect surveys and point counts were good predictors of breeding in a field, as confirmed through spot mapping and nest monitoring, based on generalized linear mixed models. We recommend using transect surveys or point counts as an efficient field method to assess when bobolink finish breeding in a field targeted for bobolink conservation. Our results suggest that 2 consecutive visits that fail to detect evidence of breeding in early July are needed to reasonably infer that breeding has likely finished, leaving a small probability (i.e., <0.01) that breeding may still be occurring. Determining when bobolink finish breeding in fields intended to provide nesting refuges can help maximize conservation benefits and minimize negative effects on agricultural production. © 2020 The Wildlife Society.

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“…Harvest management strategies in Vermont were met with success when farmers harvested hay early (late May-early June) and waited 65 days before harvesting again to allow birds the opportunity to re-nest [ 31 ]. However, early hay harvest strategies may be complicated by environmental constraints in other regions [ 16 , 40 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is Hay for the Birds? Investigating Landowner Willingness to Time Hay Harvests for Grassland Bird Conservation

Gruntorad

Graham

Arcilla

et al. 2021

Animals

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Birds in agricultural environments have exhibited steep global population declines in recent decades, and effective conservation strategies targeting their populations are urgently needed. In grasslands used for hay production, breeding birds’ nest success improves substantially if hay harvests are delayed until after mid-July. However, few studies have investigated private hay producers’ willingness to alter their harvesting practices, which is a critical factor for bird conservation where most land is privately owned, such as in the North American Great Plains. We surveyed Nebraska hay producers to examine whether livestock production, wildlife knowledge, and hunting activity affects their willingness to alter haying practices for bird conservation. The majority (60%) of respondents expressed willingness to delay harvesting hay to allow birds time to nest successfully. Livestock producers and those more knowledgeable about wildlife were more willing to delay hay harvests, whereas active hunters were less willing to do so. Our findings suggest that a majority of private producers show a high potential for engaging in grassland bird conservation activities. Landowners’ willingness to participate in bird conservation programs and actions could be further encouraged through extension and education efforts connecting hay producers with information, support, and funding for bird conservation.

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Conservation of breeding grassland birds requires local management strategies when hay maturation and nutritional quality differ among regions

Cited by 15 publications

References 36 publications

Rotational grazing of beef cattle to support Bobolink breeding success

Rotational grazing of beef cattle to support Bobolink breeding success

Determining When Bobolink Finish Breeding to Time Agricultural Activity in Nesting Refuges

Is Hay for the Birds? Investigating Landowner Willingness to Time Hay Harvests for Grassland Bird Conservation

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