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SPRING 2003 American Woodcock- A Wildlife Profile(Spring 2003) Ask Andi- Hummingbirds (Spring 2003) Waterfowl Festival Goose Sanctuary
Program(Spring 2003) From the moment the bulldozers left, a light rain brought the spot to
life. At the end of last The dust had hardly settled when all the birds arrived so there was
no mature vegetation in the CWH does it all the time, restore wetlands, that is. But this time was a little different. The idea for the joint project sprung from a more than 10 year desire on behalf of staff at CWH to create non-tidal wetland habitat on the Pickering Creek property. CWH saw the habitat potential for an already protected sanctuary, plus it is publically accessible so area landowners could easily take a look at CWH’s work. The Pickering Creek staff also wanted to do the project so they could expand the sampling of habitats at Pickering. The greater variety of habitat would provide a greater diversity of bird species visiting and more opportunities for PCAC staff to educate visitors about various habitats and the wildlife they support. The idea of converting one of the farm fields into a wetland using funds from the USDA and NRCS through the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), finally made sense to both organizations at the same time. So CWH started making the design, and PCAC started getting the word out about what was being created on their campus. To restore wetlands such as this one, CWH begins by consulting a county soils map to determine where appropriate soils are on the Pickering Creek campus. Like many Eastern Shore farms, the farm at Pickering Creek Audubon Center includes extensive hydric soils. These hydric soils are indicative of areas that were once wetlands prior to being drained to make them viable fields for farming. Once CWH and PCAC decided on a field to restore into a wetland and laser level measurements were taken to determine field elevations to ensure the wetland functions properly. The earth moving began. Top soil was removed and stock piled, then shallow pools (averaging about 18" deep) and small hummocks were built. A berm was built to capture rainfall and the stockpiled top soil was spread back out over the wetland to reestablish the native seed bank and allow for new vegetation to grow. The layout for impoundments are as diverse as the fields they are located in. They are designed to be shallow, seasonal wetlands, meaning they will typically be flooded during the late fall, winter and early spring. However, they are designed to go partially dry in summer which encourages plant growth, providing cover for nesting wildlife and a food source for migrating birds in the colder months. Parts of the wetland will stay wet throughout the year, providing a year round water sources and the hummocks and higher elevation areas will provide year round dry land for loafing wildlife. This patchwork of islands and pools allows for diverse vegetation and bird nesting sites. Adjacent to a field of warm season grasses, this type of wetland habitat now found at Pickering Creek creates an opportunity for many kinds of birds, animals, amphibians (important for insect control!) and plants to make a home, permanently or seasonally. When excavation was finished, the 24 acre wetland was planted with cool season grasses and 3 adjacent upland acres were planted in a warm season grass meadow. As the grasses mature, they will provide perfect shelter for numerous species of birds and other animals as well as a food source for many others. The mudflats that exist in the wetland today will eventually disappear and develop into wet areas amidst tall grasses. The seeds dropped by birds that began using the wetland immediately will help establish the wetland plants that provide the most desirable food for puddle ducks and other species of wildlife. When the impoundment is a year old, cattails, button bush, cedars, warm season grasses, and wild millet will be seen blending together across the landscape of wet meadow and hummocks emerging from large, shallow pools. Canada geese may be heard holding an excited conversation, or maybe a flight of Northern Pintails will float into the wetland impoundment that runs the length of the entrance road to the Center. A viewing platform will allow visitors to look out over the impoundment to see the Green Wing Teal and Widgeon slipping through the reeds, or perhaps the Warblers darting through Groundsel tree as the wading birds stalk the impoundment’s edges. Researchers at the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center found that
within five years of Mostly located on private land, access to these little jewels created
by CWH can be difficult-- When one considers that this site was a farm field just a few months
earlier, one can begin to As well as restoring this wetland, CWH’s and Pickering Creek Audubon
Center plan to do For directions to Pickering Creek’s wetland restored by CWH through
the CREP program, you American Woodcock-Wildlife Profile The American Woodcock is known by numerous local names including timberdoodle, Although it is classified as a shorebird, the woodcock is physically and behaviorally adapted to young forested habitat. It is a mottled brown bird that blends in with the dry-leaf pattern of the forest floor. It has short legs, large eyes and a long bill. The bill is prehensile at the tip and is used for grasping earthworms and other invertebrates. The Woodcock’s range is chiefly eastern North America from southern Canada to the Gulf states. The principal breeding range is the northern portion of its range spreading from Southern Canada south to the mid-Atlantic region. Maryland is near the southern limit of its principal breeding range but scattered nesting occurs throughout the southeast even as far south as Alabama. During mild winters some birds remain here throughout, especially on the lower Eastern Shore. Spring migration north begins in late January or early February and most birds arrive on northern breeding grounds during late March and April. Fall migration usually begins in Canada during late September after a molt and continues until mid-December, when most birds reach the southern wintering grounds. These “flight birds” (as they are known to sportsmen) are most common on the Eastern Shore around Thanksgiving. Males migrate north first in the spring, often arriving in prime breeding
areas like Maine while The American Woodcock’s unique aerial courtship display has made it
a favorite of nature In his book Sand County Almanac, Aldo Leopold describes the courtship
display of the “The male flies in low from some neighboring thicket,
alights on the bare moss, and Most Woodcock nests are located within a few yards of brushy field edges.
Nest cover varies The chicks are able to leave the nest soon after hatching (precocial), can fly short distances at two weeks, and are almost fully grown by four weeks. By June, most young Woodcock can fly well and are no longer dependent on the female. The young will stay in the general area of where they hatched until the fall migration. Interestingly, young birds tend to utilize coastal routes while adult birds use more inland routes during migration. Earthworms make up from fifty to ninety percent of the Woodcock's diet.
Alders and second Woodcock populations in Maryland and the other northeastern states fell
79 % from 1968 You owe it to yourself to see the spectacular dance of the male woodcock! Some nearby nature centers are offering woodcock evening events this season or you can call CWH and staff will give you ideas on where and when to look. If you are interested in attracting Timberdoodles to your property it may be as simple as letting a field grow up in native shrubs and grasses. Sensitive forestry or simple firewood cutting can help the woodcock and other creatures dependent on early successional habitats as well. Reducing our high deer population will also protect and restore the forest understory that woodcock and other wildlife need. Please call CWH’s office for more information on restoring Woodcock habitat. To read more on American Woodcocks, check out these publications: The Book of the American Woodcock William Sheldon The Ecology and Management of the American Woodcock Mendall and Aldous A Sand County Almanac and Sketches Here and There Aldo Leopold Management of migratory shore and upland Gamebirds in North America
Edited by Glen A landowner's guide to Woodcock Management in the Northeast Sepik, Owen & Coulter Atlas of Breeding Birds of Maryland and the District of Columbia
Chandler S. Robbins, Q: Should I add red food coloring to my hummingbird feeder to attract hummingbirds? R: The primary function of a hummingbird feeder is to simulate
the hummingbird’s natural Flower nectar is colorless, and a small amount of red on the outside of the feeder, such as a red feeding port, is all that is necessary to attract the birds. Tests using dyed sugar water found the birds preferred a colorless solution. This suggests that dyes may have an unpleasant taste. The most important part of feeding hummingbirds is keeping the feeder
clean. Sugar water is A simple, homemade solution of one part granulated white sugar in four
parts water will attract Q: I am concerned that I will accidentally persuade the hummingbirds
to stay too long during R: Contrary to popular belief, leaving feeders up in the fall
will not prevent hummingbirds from Waterfowl Festival Goose Sanctuary Program (Spring
2003) The Waterfowl Festival Goose Sanctuary Program administered by CWH provides
safe resting This past season has again seen a good collaboration between the Waterfowl Festival, CWH and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources' (DNR) Wildlife Habitat Improvement Program (WHIP). Good management of the Goose Sanctuary Program relies, in no small measure, on strategically located non-hunted farms with ample grazing (winter wheat) and high carbohydrate food (standing corn). Nearctic geese are primarily grazers, depending on standing grains when snow and ice conditions cover their preferred food supply. From a non-hunted and traditional point-of-view, contiguous long-term sanctuaries are of particular value to the program. Emulating the Festival’s program in 1991, the State of Maryland DNR
began a Wildlife Habitat Should the DNR WHIP not be funded by the Maryland legislature in 2003
due to State budget CWH and the Waterfowl Festival focus on the following criteria
in order to provide the best Sanctuary sites are given additional consideration if: CWH manages the Goose Sanctuary Program in three phases. In the first
phase, landowners The second phase of the program involves the no-till drilling or conventional
planting of cover The third phase of the Sanctuary Program is follow-up. CWH staff periodically checks all farms throughout the winter as to the quantity of feed and cover crop being utilized, the numbers of geese using the sanctuaries and to insure the no hunting restrictions are being observed. The Canada goose (Branta canadensis) is a long-lived species, quite traditional in its breeding, wintering and migration patterns as long as they prove successful. Yet it is a readily adaptable species. Good reproduction in Canada geese may not occur until the age of five years, when pairs have gained greater experience in raising their broods. Inclement weather conditions on their breeding grounds, such as a late spring with accompanying snow and ice, may destroy the best part of a year’s young cohort. Despite the fact that the breeding pair count was down from 2001 (165,000 in 2001 vs 147,000 in 2002), 2002 proved to be a nesting year comparable to 2001. Spring came late to the Ungava Peninsula this past spring, snow cover persisted and not as many pairs nested. Thus relatively fewer pairs produced a larger number of goslings. This year we saw a fall flight similar to 2001, according to Bill Harvey of MD DNR. The mid-winter waterfowl counts have been done and according to the DNR Wye Mills Office there were "a lot of Canada geese and not many ducks.” From a perfunctory viewpoint the goose is a great renewable resource
that provides excellent If you are interested in becoming a steward for our migrating Canada
geese by providing a
Wildlife Profile - American Coot (That ol' Coot!) (Fall 2003) From Soybeans to Buttermilk(Fall 2003) Ask Andi- Bluebirds (Fall 2003) Protecting Wildlife Habitat(Fall 2003) CWH Top 10 Native Planting Ideas for Wildlife and Fall Color(Fall 2003) Getting Results- Surveying CWH Meadows for Bird Usage(Fall 2003) Easy on the Fall Mowing (Fall 2003) Sometimes we can spend too much time worrying about how instead of why. For example, our staff biologists restore hundreds of acres of habitat for wildlife every year but spend all of their time worrying about the details of how to get the habitat on the ground. Fortunately, we often get the reward of seeing Green or Blue-winged Teal drop into our wetlands, or hear the Eastern Meadowlarks calling in the meadows. Recently, CWH staff has been creating opportunities to focus on the wildlife usage of our habitat restoration sites (See Getting Results article, page 4). Combined with anecdotal information from landowners, we are learning how quickly wildlife respond to utilize restored habitat. For example, one of our landowner partners on the Miles River found flocks of Northern Pintail in the wetland CWH restored on his farm. He noted that in thirty years he had never seen Pintail on the farm before. Of course, the water quality of the Miles River has been in serious decline for over thirty years and human disturbance has increased as well. The lack of disturbance to our non-tidal wetlands, which are usually located in relatively remote spots, is one of the top reasons wildlife find them so appealing. In the last few years the biologists at CWH have seen American Coots (see Wildlife Profile, page 2) in the larger restored wetlands that we design and construct. It has been suspected that Coots are rare breeders on the lower Eastern Shore and unknown nesters on the mid-shore. Previous to our observations, only one confirmed nesting pair has been documented since 1977 in Maryland. Our biologists have seen adult Coots throughout the breeding season in wetlands we have restored and have even encountered a few broods of young Coots. We were thrilled to observe the Coots’ behavior during our wetland surveys. Observations of a recently restored wetland have found over a dozen species of shorebirds including Semipalmated Plovers, Western sandpipers and White-rumped sandpipers. It's not just birds that we are pleased to encounter in our wetland restoration sites. A few years ago researchers found over a dozen species of dragonflies that had never been documented in Talbot or Queen Anne's counties. We have also partnered with the University of Kansas to determine the benefits our wetlands provide to migrating Monarch butterflies. Since 1980, CWH has restored over 800 acres of wetlands. Our knowledge of the benefits these sites provide for wildlife increases every season. And every season our commitment to restoring habitat for wildlife strengthens. We know that these wetlands provide habitat for a wide diversity of wildlife and look forward to demonstrating just how diverse these wildlife benefits are. And, it's not just wildlife! Many years ago, researchers at the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center found that within five years of restoration a CWH wetland can provide favorable habitat for over 100 species of plants. Finally, in addition to the benefits for wildlife and plant diversity, our wetlands also improve water quality in the Chesapeake Bay. They filter pollutants from surface water before it enters the Bay. In partnership with CWH, the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center has documented that our restored wetlands filter up to 70% of the water pollutants that would otherwise reach the Bay. So we know that all the wildlife in the Bay itself also benefits from our staff's hard labor on land labor that this year will result in another 100 acres of restored wetlands! Wildlife
Profile - American Coot (That ol' Coot!) Although the American Coot (Fulica americana) is often mistaken for a duck, it is actually a member of the rail family. They have lobed feet (not webbed like true waterfowl) that allow them to walk across soft mud and thick mats of floating vegetation. Coots are highly animated birds, being very conspicuous, noisy and aggressively territorial. To signal their social intentions they vary body posture, adjust positioning of their white undertail coverts (feathers), and perform many other displays to communicate among themselves. While fighting, a coot usually sits back on the water and grabs its opponent with one long-clawed foot attempting to slap the contender with the free one and jab it with its bill. Coots will react with similar displays for other intruders and even predatory mammals. They do not, however, perform distraction displays like other rails. American Coots are among the least graceful of the marsh birds. Commonly called Asplatterers,@ they scramble across the surface of the water with wings flapping not only to confront intruders but also to become airborne. Even though American Coots can be conspicuous some of the time, they can be among one of the more secretive marsh dwellers, and are often overlooked in their dense nesting habitat. They will dive to avoid being spotted, even with a young chick hanging on to their back. American Coots are listed as an uncommon breeder on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. This may be due to their secretiveness during nesting season. Coots select nesting habitat that includes ponds in brackish marshes that contain plentiful growth of aquatic plants such as Wildcelery, Red-head pondweed, and Sago pondweed. In upland situations, American Coots prefer wetlands with cattail, bulrush, burreed, and Phragmites, but they will use a variety of vegetation for nesting. They will build up to nine bulky, floating nesting structures but only lay eggs in one of the nests and use the others for brooding, displaying or copulating. They can lay 4-17 eggs, but the average clutch is 9-11. One egg is laid per day and incubation, which lasts 21 or 22 days, begins with the laying of the first egg. Both sexes participate in incubation, but it is primarily performed by the female. The heads of American Coot chicks have brilliant orange tufts of down and a patch of bright scarlet. When they beg for food they flaunt this brilliant head gear, nodding frantically in front of their parents. Those with the brightest heads are fed first and are likely to be the strongest, most vigorous of the brood and therefore the ones most likely to survive. Almost a third of the chicks that hatch each year die from starvation. However, in many bird species 50-60% of chicks do not make it to fledging and the species continue to thrive. CWH is pleased that our larger wetlands are able to support nesting by species usually not found on the mid-shore. We believe in biological indicators and feel that nesting coots are simply one more sign that our constructed wetlands are serving the wildlife resource as intended. From Soybeans to Buttermilk GMOs, or genetically modified organisms, have been around since the dawn of agriculture, some 10,000 years ago. The apple we see in the store today is, curiously, a close genetic relative of the small, often bitter, golf-ball sized Apome@ found wild in central Asia. The confined animal feedlot operation porker is, again, a close relative, but a far-off look-alike, of the wild tusker found in Europe. Both of these organisms, the apple and the hog, have been bred to date by cross-breeding over many years. With the advent of GMO technology, or by a more precise term, transgenic organisms (TGOs), genetic material can be transferred from one animal or plant to another. In fact, genes can now be transferred from animals to plants, a process that would never happen in nature. Fifteen or more years ago the list of agrochemicals approved for use in no-till full-season soybeans, a time when TGO plants and animals were just a dream in some lab technician's Acrucible,@ was diverse. It included about a dozen herbicides, about half of which were of the residual type. This means that when applied to the soil at planting time, they provide season-long weed control; as opposed to a non-residual herbicide, which may kill the plant upon contact or be translocated throughout the plant, especially the roots. Residual herbicides are of greater concern because they stay active in the environment (and unfortunately the groundwater) for a significant period of time relative to most non-residuals. Today, with ARound-up Ready@ technology a farmer can grow a crop of soybeans with just one non-residual herbicide, glyphosate. More than 90% of the soybeans grown on the Eastern Shore of Maryland are now Round-up Ready and this produces a quandary. The use of Round-up Ready soybeans has, on one hand, reduced or eliminated the use of more toxic residual herbicides. However, its prevalence has produced agronomic problems in the field and a further controversial dependence of farmers upon corporate agribusiness. Several of the older residual herbicides, such as alachlor, chlorimuron and metholachlor, have an oral LD50 (the Lethal Dose that kills 50% of the test animals at the stated dose) of half that of glyphosate. (Remember that the lower the value the more toxic the product). These residual materials do not degrade rapidly in the soil, like glyphosate, and instead often end up in streams and ponds, infiltrating the groundwater and eventually into our drinking water. Also, some of these herbicides (oryzalin and linuron) are very toxic to fish. Glyphosate is a non-residual herbicide that is effective on annual and perennial weeds because it is translocated to the roots. It has an oral and dermal LD50 of >5,000 mg/kg and no measurable effects on fish, thus its use over the residual materials is deemed by us at CWH to be vastly preferable. TGO technology involves gene-splicing, the actual removal of a gene from one organism and into another. Round-up Ready technology involves the insertion of the glyphosate resistant gene into the genetic makeup of several agricultural crops. One serious problem though, as with antibiotics in humans, has been its overuse. In a short period of time, like antibiotic resistant bacteria, glyphosate resistant weeds (often termed Asuperweeds@) have emerged. Due to its ease of use and its relative safety, glyphosate (Round-up Ready) technology has been eagerly embraced by farmers. Not just whole fields have been planted to Round-up Ready soybeans but whole farms in whole regions of the country. Bt-resistant corn (another TGO product which controls corn earworm and corn borer) is grown on farms but safety buffer zones are recommended. A buffer zone for Bt corn was implemented whereby no more than 3/4 of a field can be planted to a Bt variety without a conventional variety being planted nearby. This measure is intended to reduce the possibility of insect resistance. Unfortunately, the use of safety buffers is self-regulated and there is no enforcement. The buffers are not commonly installed and the emergence of Bt-resistant insects is a clear possibility. This prospect has the organic community in a furor, since certain strains of Bt are their only means of controlling certain lepidopterous pests. Consider the following: 1) growth promoting genes have been implanted into pen-raised salmon with the concerns that if they escape then this gene will adversely impact wild salmon stocks; 2) the gene for cold tolerance from a flounder has been inserted into strawberries; 3) rice has been implanted with a gene for beta-carotene, which is converted to vitamin A to prevent blindness in children in less developed countries; 4) genetically engineered bacteria are grown to produce a “natural” insecticide used by organic farmers. Ninety-five percent of modern dairy farms use some type of artificial hormone. These include milk let-down hormones, growth-promoting hormones, vaccine or shock reaction hormones, and steroidal anti-inflammatory hormones. One of these is a genetically engineered hormone called rBST (recombinant bovine somatotropin), used to increase milk production. However, many are concerned about the human health and market effects of this hormone. We should probably realize that some of this technology is “good”, some is questionable and some needs further study. For instance, with our global population at over 6 billion, should TGO grains be banned from import to countries suffering from famine for political reasons? Should not all food products be appropriately labeled as to their TGO content? It is certainly easier, is it not, to judge, criticize and argue on such issues if one is not wondering where the next meal is coming from? In the future there may not be enough land to grow our food with conventional
crops. We may not have the luxury, as in some parts of the world, of having
organic crops to feed ourselves. In this respect, I have to agree with
Dennis Avery, Director of the Center for Global Food Issues, that without
these and other agricultural technologies there would be a lot less wildlife
habitat to go around. However, wildlife conservation also depends on stable
political situations, low unemployment and zero or negative population
growth. If there are to be new agricultural products they need to be brought
into the marketplace and implemented with respect to an evermore educated
public. Greater energy should be brought to bear to prepare us, as consumers,
about the issues beforehand. Q: I live in a small town and would like to attract bluebirds, what can I do?- A: The problem with trying to attract bluebirds to your home in any size town or development is House Sparrows. House Sparrows, aka English Sparrows, are non-native birds which are very aggressive. They will relentlessly work to destroy other birds’ nests, eggs, and young and even other adult birds for no apparent reason other than to take over the bird world. I have found many bluebird boxes with adult bluebirds in them that have been killed by House Sparrows. House Sparrows are attracted to towns and other urban areas because of the Aeasy living@ that people and our buildings afford them. So, if you live in town, putting bluebird boxes up will most likely only invite House Sparrows to live in them. Bluebirds rarely live in towns or other urban places as they experience fierce competition from House Sparrows. Unless you can monitor your bird boxes daily, keep any and all House Sparrows from nesting in it, and keep bluebirds safe from the House Sparrows, it is best not to install them. Many well-intentioned people hoping to attract native cavity-nesting birds may actually be doing greater harm by not monitoring their boxes regularly, allowing House Sparrows to proliferate at tremendous rates. There are other things you can do to benefit native birds in your yard
when you live in town. For example, planting native fruit producing shrubs
and trees will provide food and planting native evergreens will provide
cover for nesting and protection from thermal stress. Residents throughout the Chesapeake region have seen the persistent loss of wildlife habitat to development. This loss includes the draining of wetlands and clearcutting of woodlands containing endangered species like the Delmarva Fox Squirrel. It affects our wildlife populations and the health of the Chesapeake Bay. Consider a recent study by the U.S. Forest Service that showed that over 100 acres of forests are lost everyday in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Given current land management philosophy and government budgetary restraints, it is difficult just to keep pace with these losses. At CWH, we are not satisfied to simply tread water--we want to make significant progress. With this in mind, we have, over the last five years, made a determined effort to preserve existing wildlife habitat in addition to restoring it. The most effective method of protecting wildlife habitat is for a conservation organization, like CWH, to own it. Unfortunately, purchasing property is very costly. Occasionally, a generous landowner is willing to donate their property to a conservation organization. However, these opportunities are very rare. Fortunately, there is another, less costly, method to protect wildlife habitat--the Conservation Easement. A conservation easement is a legal document that prohibits certain activities on a property, while permitting a landowner to retain all other rights and privileges of owning the property. When drafted properly, conservation easements should legally protect the property in perpetuity. And when donated to a qualified land trust, easements can provide significant tax breaks for federal and state income taxes, estate taxes and local property taxes. Most conservation easements focus solely on limiting development of the property. These types of easements help preserve open space, viewsheds, and farmland. These easements help ensure that sprawl development does not overwhelm family farms. However, sometimes these easements do not expressly protect existing wildlife habitat. CWH staff works with landowners to ensure their property will always remain a haven for wildlife. By working closely with our biologists and the landowner, CWH's Landowner Services Program crafts a conservation easement that ensures a forest remains a forest, a grassland remains a grassland and a wetland will never be drained or filled. We are very grateful for the wonderful commitment our landowner partners have made to ensure wildlife will always find homes around the Chesapeake region. CWH Top 10 Native Planting Ideas for Wildlife and Fall Color Trees Sweetgum, Liquidambar styraciflua - Known as a nuisance tree for its spiny seed heads and invasive nature, it has very attractive fall colors of deep reds, yellows and purple. Blackgum, Nyssa sylvatica - Normally the first tree to show bright red color in the fall. Sassafras, Sassafras albidum - A small tree with blue fruit that has bright yellow and red fall foliage. Staghorn Sumac, Rhus typhina - A tall shrub with brilliant red foliage and clusters of hairy red fruit that persist through out the winter. Poison Ivy, Rhus radicans - A slender shrub or trailing vine that may be best known for causing a painful skin rash. Despite it's itchy flaws, the fruit is eaten by many types of birds & mammals and the leaves turn brilliant colors in the fall. Maple-leaved Viburnum, Viburnum acerifolium - A shrub with leaves shaped like a Red Maple, the fruit is eaten by many song and game birds as well as small mammals. In the fall the leaves normally turn subtle colors of peach, pink & yellow. Flowers Tickseed Sunflower, Bidens spp. - Often found in the wet soils of ditches and fields this bright yellow flower is very attractive to migrating monarchs. Joe-pye Weed, Eupatorium dubium- A very tall bold purple to pink
flower that blooms in early fall and attracts many butterflies. Getting Results In the last few years CWH has planted over two thousand acres of warm season grass (WSG) meadows on farms in Maryland under the USDA's Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). Our empirical observations have indicated that where there are very dense stands of warm season grasses, wildlife usage is restricted to the margins. (Residual fertilizers from agricultural operations have a significant impact on warm season grass helping it to grow dense and too thick.) However, these “too thick” stands, without maintenance, do eventually die-out. (In the fall these grasses can grow so tall, thick and rank that after heavy rains or winds they matte down and literally kill themselves underneath.) Additionally, our observations indicate that where there are reduced stands and greater diversity from natural plant colonization there is greater wildlife use. Initially the required seeding rates for these meadows were far too high due to lack of familiarity with the grasses as well as concerns about erosion control and water quality. We feel that stand density can be reduced and diversity increased to meet both the wildlife and water quality aspects of the program. Furthermore, the literature is scant on research information on wildlife usage in these newly established meadows. Since January of this year CWH has been conducting bird surveys in different warm and cool season grass meadows in the mid-shore region. These meadows are of different sizes and composition. Some are distinct meadows and others are buffers adjacent to riparian woodland or forest. We are endeavoring to determine bird use of these meadows throughout the year and the data collected will help us manage the meadows to optimize wildlife use. We are attempting to estimate the population size and trends for various species of birds. Their abundance, diversity and frequency (demographics) will be used to hopefully determine their specific habitat requirements. Over the winter we began walking transects in the meadows. Transects are spaced 50-100 feet apart depending on the size of the meadow and are surveyed once a week. All birds heard or seen are entered accordingly on specific data sheets along with their behavior at the time of observation. At the beginning of May, we modified data collection in some locations and substituted point counts that are surveyed every other week. Point counts involve an observer standing in one spot and recording all the birds seen or heard at a fixed distance. This survey method causes less of a disturbance to wildlife in the meadows during nesting season as well as minimizes tick infestations to data collectors! The details of each point count or transect are recorded onto special data sheets, including information about the date, time and weather. The bird species are recorded in the order that they are observed, the quarter in which they are observed, the number of individuals and their behavior. Census time starts at sunrise and continues for 3-4 hours which is the time of day when most species are actively calling or moving about. CWH is also surveying similar habitats nearby which do not include warm season grass meadows or cool season grass meadows. These are know as control sites and will give some good comparative information and validity to the study. We will be comparing our data from the warm and cool season grass meadow areas to traditionally farmed fields where there is no grass buffer. Some highlights that have been observed using the WSG meadows include seeing Field Sparrows feeding their young and Grasshopper Sparrows defending their territory. Grasshopper Sparrows are almost ubiquitous wherever there is an undisturbed meadow. They make their presence known by their characteristic insect-like rasping song. As soon as you enter a field during breeding season, if they are there, they will start calling, as if to say Athis is my home, what are you doing here?@ The abundance of Bobwhite Quail has been most gratifying, confirming that we can still have these wonderful birds in our landscape if we are willing to manage for them. Bobwhite Quail have undergone a severe decline in Maryland and most other areas in their range due to loss of habitat. Eastern Kingbirds have been observed feeding their fledglings in one location and during mid-August flocks of Purple Martins were congregating near some meadows long after they had left their nesting locations. Yellow-breasted Chats, though seldom seen, are often heard singing their throaty, mirthful song. Song Sparrows have been found nesting and Savannah Sparrows were common on passage earlier in the spring. Small flocks of Bobolinks were observed earlier, our attention drawn to their distinctive bubbling song, but sadly, none stayed to breed. An abundance of dragonflies and damselflies have also been seen using the meadows. From the large pondhawks to the graceful skimmers, many different dragonflies were found hunting insects near the seed heads of the WSG during the day and roosting in the thick grass clumps at night or during inclement weather. Once the first year of our surveys are complete we can start thinking
about which bird species utilize various meadows. If several years worth
of data confirms, for example, that we NEVER find Grasshopper Sparrows
in buffer strips unless they are at least 200 feet wide, then we can plan
and manage accordingly. This might mean that we intensify efforts to encourage
bobwhite nesting and brood rearing in the narrower strips because we know
we will not harm Grasshopper Sparrow use of these areas. Once we feel more
confident about various bird species’ use of varying size and type of meadow,
we can manage for the birds likely to occur there. Easy on the Fall Mowing Many wildlife species other than quail also depend on early successional habitats that involve tall grass, “weeds” (often wildflowers), and “brush” (shrubs or tree seedlings). It is particularly unfortunate at this time of year, when the monarch butterflies are migrating through, to see the extensive overmowing of CREP buffers which wipes out all the tickseed sunflowers (bidens species), eupatorium, ironweed, milkweeds, and goldenrods that are so important to many species of insect pollinators. Mowing (or burning) one-third to one-half of the buffer per year would be sufficient to keep it in herbaceous cover, but shortly after the August 15th end of nesting date too many landowners participate in what we jokingly call the “conservation lawn program” in the wildlife community. Huge acreages of herbaceous buffers are made worthless for wintering wildlife as they are mown down to a lawn-like height. The problem has been exacerbated by some government farm agencies that send letters out threatening landowners with immediate CREP contract termination and fines if they don’t control ALL “weeds”. Noxious weeds like thistle and johnsongrass should be controlled but scaring well-intentioned landowners into needless mowing of quality wildlife habitat is a senseless waste of landowner resources and wildlife. Some folks simply have trouble with minimizing management which can result in such fantastic habitat for a wide diversity of species. So, before you mow it all, call CWH and let us show you what is out there and how you can sustain it with a minimum of effort while you help wildlife through the winter. What looks like a “weed” in August can turn out to be a beautiful wildflower in October covered with monarchs fueling up for the long flight south. Information on this pages is property of Chesapeake Wildlife Heritage and may not be |