Male bobolinks are among the showiest of grassland birds; their dramatic yellow, white, and black breeding plumage and distinctive call makes them a favorite of birding enthusiasts when they arrive with female bobolinks at their northern breeding and nesting grounds each spring. It’s a delight to watch and listen to them in their grassland habitat, along with another grassland dependent species, the Savannah sparrow. But, annual North American Breeding Birds Surveys reveal a consistent decline in bobolink numbers over the past several decades in all Northeastern states. Loss of grassland habitat to development along with intensive management of hayfields are primarily to blame. Delaying mowing of hayfields provides bobolinks time to nest and successfully fledge their young, but it often can cause financial hardship for farmers. An additional option for farmers is to cut early before June 1 and wait for 65 days to cut again, which allows the bobolinks to return after the first cut with time to complete the breeding cycle.
The Bobolink Project, a collaboration between Mass Audubon, Audubon Vermont, and New Hampshire Audubon, offers a pragmatic approach to protecting the habitat bobolinks need to thrive: partnering conservation donors interested in the protection of grassland habitat for nesting birds with farmers who want to help, but are faced with difficult economic realities. Donors “buy time” for the birds while farmers are able to offset the loss of income that occurs with a shortened haying season.
Since the project began, 6,143.6 acres have been enrolled in the program.
View a slideshow of images focused on ongoing bobolink research and monitoring at a long term study site in Shelburne, Vermont. A collaborative effort between University of New England in Biddeford, Maine, University of Vermont, and Shelburne Farms, the research project is now in its 20th year studying demographic trends in grassland birds in response to grassland management practices. Photos by The Bobolink Project cofounder Allan Strong, a professor at University of Vermont’s Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources.
Read more about The Bobolink Project here.
This Web Extra accompanies the article “The Bobolink: Emily Dickinson’s Rowdy of the Meadow,” by Frederick Thurber in the Summer 2022 issue of Northern Woodlands.
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