Vermonters are trying to save last refuge of grassland birds

Burlington Free Press
By Sawyer Loftus

SHELBURNE, Vt. (AP) — A simple change to a farmer’s hay cutting schedule in Vermont could be the key to saving families of birds from extinction.

Researchers are working with Vermont landowners to preserve some of the last vital habitats available for grassland birds, like the Bobolink, Savannah Sparrow and Meadow Lark.

Armed with data that shows an early hay cut can help the birds more successfully reproduce, places like Shelburne Farms are managing prime bird habitat to protect the species while also producing feed for their cows.

Noah Perlut, associate professor and chairman of the Environmental Studies program at the University of New England has studied these grassland birds for the last 18 years.

While working for the University of Vermont he made a ground-breaking discovery: If farmers cut hay early and wait 65 days before a second cut, the birds have enough time to breed and raise their young.

That simple step coupled with in-depth research about each bird could push back on a decades-long population decline.

“The idea is to figure out who the bird is and follow that bird to see what happens to it,” Perlut said. “Then we tell the landowner the story of that specific bird, and these stories we try to connect to the human condition.”

In Vermont, the Henslow’s sparrow, grasshopper sparrow, sedge wren and upland sandpiper are considered endangered or threatened by the Fish and Wildlife Department.

Soon the meadowlark may be added to the list, Steve Parren, Wildlife Biologist for the Vermont Fish and Wildlife said.

The bobolink isn’t listed in Vermont as being endangered or threatened, but have been in steady decline, Perlut said.

Throughout the 18 years of research Perlut has found only 50 meadowlark nests among around 2,700 grassland bird nests divided among the species in Vermont that’s cause for concern.

“That is a reflection of just how few there are here,” he said.

Since the 1980s bobolink populations have been declining by 3 percent a year because their habitats have been destroyed, Perlut said.

Grassland birds aren’t native to Vermont — they used to call the Midwest and prairies home. Now there is little hope of returning to those lands which is why they have landed in Vermont, Perlut said.

The only problem is the majority of the lands in the state are privately owned, largely for agriculture, which destroys the grasslands, he said. So Vermonters need to focus on doing what they can to help the birds.

“I would love to see bobolinks restored to the Midwest, but until that happens, we have to be the stewards of their genetics here,” he said. “Otherwise we’re just going to wipe them out.

May 15 is the ideal date for farmers to cut by for these birds, Perlut said.

There is a chance to partner with farmers and conservationists to make sure everyone wins, he said.

“The problem with cutting in June is the birds have put a lot of work into their nests at that point and it may be too late to move,” he said.

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