Thanks, Donna. Anne knows about redwing specifics! July 4 just gets on the downside of peak for redwings, who are pretty early returnees. As mentioned bobolinks seem later. I suspect many sparrows go later and renests remain at risk. july 22 would be much safer but a lot harder to get farmers to agree to.
It’s a hard trade off. A late July 1st-cutting will probably deny farmers a good second cutting that many take around here. And of course early cutting < May 14 in an unusual year of early growth would take out early nests and leave avian-everyone with no structure to nest in just when they are ready to do so. What happens to all these dates with climate change is anyone’s guess! Everything—different nesting species, different crops including different grasses—does not just move earlier. It is a wicked problem. Sent from my iPhone > On Jun 15, 2021, at 7:10 PM, Donna Lee Scott <d...@cornell.edu> wrote: > > > Dear Bird Colleagues: > > Attached is Cornell Cooperative Extension publication entitled > “Hayfield Management and Grassland Bird Conservation” > By Jim Ochterski, Jan. 2006. ja...@cornell.edu > > Has a calendar to show farmers when not to mow to protect grass nesting > birds: May 14 to July 22. Much later than date July 4th that Anne Clark > suggested. > But Anne probably knows more about bird specifics than the author does. > > It discusses effects of later hay cutting on nutritional quality of the hay. > “Delaying the cutting a week or two to allow for grassland birds to fledge > will usually lead to hay that is essentially overmature, but potentially > useful.” > Goes on after that… > > > Re Patrizia’s post: > Cooperative Extension’s “Good Agricultural Practices” doesn’t have anything > to do with protecting birds and wildlife. > Some good farm practices involve not polluting waterways with barnyard manure > run off, etc.. > The Good Ag Practices program begun in the late 1990s in my (former) > department of Food Science in the Ag School had to do with not contaminating > human food crops with human and animal waste, etc. > > Mowing times are based on when the hay is best nutritionally, not on cutting > off weed seed heads. > > Best regards, > Donna Scott > > Donna L. Scott > Senior Extension Associate, retired > Dept. of Food Science > CALS, Cornell University > > 535 Lansing Station Road > Lansing, NY 14882 > d...@cornell.edu > > <Hayfields_Grassland_Birds.pdf> -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
