Bobolinks: Why You Shouldn’t Mow Your Lawn
When you think about birds, where do you typically picture them? Maybe you picture them on a
cliff-face, or maybe in a tree, or circling a body in the desert. Most people wouldn’t think about
birds being in the grass though. But, there’s a reason for that. In recent years, the number of
grassland birds in the state of New York has declined rapidly, making the formerly common
sights far more rare. However, a recent study led by Suny Oswego student Nikki Knecht could
provide an answer to change that. The study’s name is ‘Monitoring Birds at Rice Creek’, and in
the process, a vital question was asked and answered, one that is linked to the conservation of
grassland birds. The question? Does unmanaged land that was previously managed support
grassland bird populations? The answer? Yes.
In particular, the study observed a population of Bobolinks, a type of grassland bird that makes
their nests in tall grass. The study was performed in a set of fields close to the Suny Oswego
campus, which is land that was previously being leased to hay farmers. The study was conducted
by observing, banding, and taking measurements of 9 Bobolinks, or 5 Bobolink nests, and
determining the reproductive success of the birds in the fields. The study’s lead also banded and
measured the fledgling Bobolinks, allowing them to later observe if they eventually left the nests.
They believed that the Bobolink nests would be capable of producing viable fledged Bobolinks.
The results of the study are not too surprising. There were 5 nests to begin with, but one of the
nests failed, leading to only 4 viable nests. Of the 4 viable nests, there were 17 fledglings, 2 of
which died. The other 15 fledglings were banded, 8 of which were later successfully observed
again. While the other 7 fledglings were not observed after their bandings, it is presumed that
they were successful. Overall, if it is presumed that the 15 banded fledgelings were successfully
fledged, then that would mean that, overall, the unmanaged fields are capable of sustaining and
growing the Bobolink population.
The study’s lead has stated that there are plans to continue the study, both by observing the fields
further for continued confirmation of the fields’ ability to sustain Bobolink populations as well as
by observing other potential fields that could sustain Bobolink populations. As of currently,
however, the status of these proposed studies are unknown, but research is probably being
continued on the current fields, given the nature of the study.