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Grassland
birds are those species that
require open grassy areas
such as prairie or savannah
during some part of their
life cycle.
Before Europeans arrived
here, much of southern-lower
Michigan was covered with
savannah, prairie, and wet
meadow. Prairie, wet meadow, and savannah have become harder and harder
to find as those open areas
made great farmland. As their habitat disappeared, so did the grassland birds. In the last 30 years, this group of birds has
suffered more from habitat
loss than any other group
in North America. As row crop acreage has increased, these species
have been forced out of their
traditional habitat. Another factor in the decline of these species
is the timing and frequency
of hay harvests, which often
destroy nests, and kill fledglings
that nest in hay fields.
Rotational
grazing benefits the grassland
birds since pasture systems
mimic the open grassy areas
of their natural habitat.
But the birds are not
the only ones who benefit
from rotational grazing of
pastures, farmers and the
rest of the environment benefit
as well.
Rotational
grazing helps farmers because
it can be more cost efficient
by reducing labor and machinery
costs.
Moving livestock to
new pastures can take less
time than feeding in a confinement
system. And thirdly, rotational grazing can also improve
the quality and yield of long-term
pastures because this practice
tends to favor the higher
quality pasture species.
Any
perennial pasture system will
also help decrease soil erosion. Warm-season grasses, which aren’t usually grazed until late summer,
are prime nesting habitat
for grassland bird species,
and even a variety of game
birds, like pheasant and quail,
who use the warm season grasses
for food and nesting.
There is evidence that
rotational grazing can actually
help attract bird species
when compared to continuously
grazed pastures.
It
is quite easy to implement
a strategy that will preserve
habitat for grassland birds
while they are nesting.
Since it only takes
about 4-5 weeks for the birds
to build a nest, hatch and
raise their young, leaving
aside a few acres of pasture
during the nesting period
can have a positive effect
on the numbers of grassland
birds. Nesting usually begins in early May and continues through mid July.
Having one or 2 pastures
planted with warm season-grasses
would be perfect for temporary
nesting habitat, since the
pasture would not be ready
to graze until later anyways. Any interval between grazing events improves
overall nesting success.
If possible, allow
longer intervals between grazing
in areas where higher populations
of grassland birds are found.
Those areas tend to
be open pastures further away
from trees. Alternating paddocks for grazing, and leaving
at least 4 inches of growth
can also improve bird nest
success.
Here
are four easy tips for increasing
grassland-bird populations:
- Create
a refuge out in the open,
away from a wooded fence
line, where grassland birds
can nest.
- Create
larger pastures to sustain
more birds.
- Leave
fields undisturbed or graze
pastures lightly from mid-May
through mid-July so fledglings
can survive.
- Refuges
can be any area set aside
for hay due to increased
spring pasture growth.
Summarized from University of Wisconsin Extension publication
A3715, Grassland Birds:
Fostering Habitats Using Rotational
Grazing.
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