Project Bobolink: Grassland Bird Conservation at Heaven Hill Farm 2023
Adirondack Watershed Institute
This year marked our 5th season of working with the Henry Uihlein II and Mildred A. Uihlein Foundation to address concerns related to grassland birds breeding at Heaven Hill and Uihlein Farm. Since we started, the Uihlein Foundation has undertaken critical efforts to increase our understanding of grassland bird breeding and behavior at both sites and to implement protection measures and habitat improvements. Grassland birds are highly imperiled, with the bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) among a group of birds that have lost half or more of their populations in 50 years and are on a trajectory to lose another half in the next 50 (North American Bird Conservation Initiative 2022). This makes the work of the Foundation to protect bobolink and other species even more critical. Although the Adirondack Park is far outside of the historical core grasslands in North America, the plight of this and other grassland specialist species argues for the value of conservation actions aimed at their protection, at all scales and locations. This report describes our activities and findings during the 2023 season.