Project Bobolink: Grassland Bird Conservation at Heaven Hill Farm 2021
A recent report published by scientists across 7 institutions highlighted the alarming finding that, across the North American continent, 1 in 4 birds have been lost since 1970; a total of 2.9 billion (Rosenberg et al. 2019). Among them are 720 million grassland birds, a 53% population loss in this guild in the last 50 years. Native grasslands are one of the most endangered ecosystems in the Americas (Renfrew et al. 2019) and grassland birds such as bobolinks (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) rely on these habitats in both the breeding and wintering season. In the Northeast US, hay meadows often provide ideal habitat for grassland specialist species including the bobolink, as well as the savannah sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis), and the northern harrier (Circus hudsonius). Natural grassland habitat is particularly rare in the context of the heavily forested Adirondack ecosystem. The Adirondacks are not considered to be a part of the core grassland habitat available at the state level, which is more prevalent in southern and western counties. Available grassland habitats in the Adirondacks may serve as important climate refugia, however. Refugia are areas that remain relatively buffered from contemporary climate change over time and enable persistence of valued physical, ecological, and sociocultural resources. Like many bird species, the bobolink is vulnerable to climate change and its range is expected to shift northwards as the climate warms. Grassland habitats located in higher elevation, northern regions like Heaven Hill and Uihlein Farm will become increasingly important for this and other grassland specialist species as these habitats decline more rapidly in areas to the south. The Paul Smith’s College Adirondack Watershed Institute (AWI) has worked with the Henry Uihlein II and Mildred A. Uihlein Foundation since 2019 to address concerns related to grassland birds breeding at Heaven Hill and Uihlein Farm. This report describes our activities and findings during the 2021 season and provides recommendations for future work.
