Rotational grazing of beef cattle to support Bobolink breeding success

Campomizzi, Andrew J.; Lebrun‐Southcott, Zoé M.; Vliet, Laura D. Van; Morris, Gerald A.

doi:10.5751/ace-01420-140213

Cited by 8 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…To monitor breeding activity in fields, we used a modified spot mapping method (Wiens 1969, Campomizzi et al 2019). From mid‐May through July, we visited each field twice a week (unless cattle were present in rotationally grazed fields) to search for bobolink.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We also searched for bobolink nests (Campomizzi et al 2019). We used behavioral cues and systematic searching to locate nests (Martin and Geupel 1993, Winter et al 2003).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Flocks were usually large (e.g., >20 individuals) and composed of young and adults. We also searched for bobolink nests (Campomizzi et al 2019). We used behavioral cues and systematic searching to locate nests Geupel 1993, Winter et al 2003).…”

Section: Spot Mapping and Nest Monitoringmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The bobolink population decline likely has multiple causes, including habitat loss and a decrease in habitat quality (i.e., environmental conditions affecting demography [Hall et al 1997]) on breeding grounds (COSEWIC 2010, McCracken et al 2013, Ethier and Nudds 2015, MECP 2015). Agricultural practices, such as hay harvest and livestock grazing during the breeding season, decrease habitat quality via direct and indirect destruction of nests (Bollinger et al 1990, Perlut et al 2006, MacDonald and Nol 2017, Campomizzi et al 2019).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Additionally, assessing when bobolink finish nesting in a particular field could improve or provide advantages over the general conservation guideline of mid‐July. For example, some bobolink nests are active after mid‐July; viable eggs have been observed in a nest as late as 16 July (Peck and James 1987) and fledging has been documented as late as 22 July (Campomizzi et al 2019). In contrast, in some fields we previously monitored in eastern Ontario, we did not observe bobolink nesting activity after late June (A. J. Campomizzi, Bird Ecology and Conservation Ontario, unpublished data).…”

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confidence: 99%

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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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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We also searched for bobolink nests (Campomizzi et al 2019). We used behavioral cues and systematic searching to locate nests (Martin and Geupel 1993, Winter et al 2003).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Spot Mapping and Nest Monitoringmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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

2020

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A global review identifies agriculture as the main threat to declining grassland birds

Douglas,

Waldinger,

Buckmire

et al. 2023

Ibis

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Grasslands are globally threatened and their biodiversity, including grassland birds, is declining markedly. To inform grassland bird conservation globally, we systematically reviewed threats and conservation actions for grassland birds, extracting data from 528 papers. Across the 10 primary grassland regions of the globe, agriculture was the most frequently or joint most frequently reported threat in nine regions (reported as a threat in 73% of publications); hunting was the most frequently reported threat in the remaining region. Natural system modifications (reported as a threat in 32% of publications) and climate change and severe weather (24%) were less frequently reported threats compared with agriculture. The types of threat from agriculture varied regionally, but the most pervasive were livestock farming and ranching (reported in 58% of publications where agriculture was a primary threat) and non‐timber cropping (43%). Most agricultural threats relate to intensification, but agricultural abandonment, typically the cessation of grazing, sometimes accompanied by tree planting/succession, poses an emerging threat to some grassland birds (reported in 32% of publications where agriculture was a primary threat). The most frequent conservation actions implemented to date include land/water management and protection, and species‐specific management actions. Authors of reviewed publications in almost all regions recommend more land/water management, followed by calls for further land/water protection. The parlous state of grassland birds globally suggests that existing conservation actions for grasslands are inadequate. Furthermore, our review suggests that these should be primarily targeted at reversing the negative impacts of agriculture, in particular livestock farming and cropping.

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Evaluating abundance estimates and evidence of breeding for Bobolinks from transect and point‐count surveys

2020

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Estimating the abundance and breeding success of territorial songbirds is challenging. Various types of surveys and analyses are available, but all receive some criticism in the literature, and most methods are rarely compared with results obtained using intensive monitoring efforts. We assessed the efficacy of transect and point‐count surveys to estimate the abundance of male Bobolinks (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) and detect evidence of nesting and fledging by comparing the results of those surveys to results from more intensive monitoring (i.e., spot mapping and nest monitoring). We monitored 36 fields (254 ha) of late‐harvest hay, restored grassland, and fallow fields in the Luther Marsh Wildlife Management Area and on four farms in southern Ontario, Canada, in 2018. Compared to the number of territories identified based on spot mapping (197), distance sampling analysis of transect survey data provided a more accurate estimate of the abundance of male Bobolinks (230, 95% CI: 187, 282) than N‐mixture models of transect (668, 95% CI: 332, 1342) and point‐count (337, 95% CI: 203, 559) data. Three visits to survey transects and five to point counts did not effectively detect evidence of Bobolink breeding (i.e., nesting or fledging) in fields compared to spot mapping and nest monitoring. Distance sampling analysis of transect data appears promising for estimating the number of Bobolink territories in an area, e.g., those impacted by conservation programs. If estimates of the number of nesting Bobolinks and frequency of fledging are of interest, spot mapping and nest monitoring could be implemented at a subset of sampled fields. Our results suggest that additional studies to evaluate model‐based estimates of abundance with the best available information (e.g., from spot mapping of marked or unmarked populations and nest monitoring) would be useful to ensure that robust estimates are provided to support population estimates and conservation actions.

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Rotational grazing of beef cattle to support Bobolink breeding success

Cited by 8 publications

References 46 publications

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

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

A global review identifies agriculture as the main threat to declining grassland birds

Evaluating abundance estimates and evidence of breeding for Bobolinks from transect and point‐count surveys

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