Original story published in the Utica Observer Dispatch by Amy Neff Roth

Feb. 23, 2015

Mow fields later.

That’s one way to protect the region’s diverse species, said Matt Perry, director of conservation and resident naturalist at Spring Farm Cares Nature Sanctuary in Clinton.

Birds like bobolinks and Eastern meadowlarks are losing their grassland habitats, mostly because many local farmers are raising monocrops, such as corn or soybeans, Perry said.

“Although those are great cash crops for them, it’s terrible for grassland birds and they can’t survive in it,” he said.

And when birds do nest in hay fields, the fields are often mowed too early; mowing in late July or early August gives the birds the chance to raise their young, Perry said.

“Very few farmers are doing that. I think some, if the word got out, might cater to the birds and be willing to wait that long,” he said.

Bobolinks and meadowlarks are among several bird species included on the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s draft list of species of greatest conservation need, a list of 373 species of animals, birds, fish and bugs that are declining or at risk due to identified threats, such as habitat loss. Others include the grasshopper sparrow, the vesper sparrow, and the upland sandpiper. The department is accepting public comment on the list until March 9 as part of an update to the State Wildlife Action Plan.

Audubon New York also is concerned about the future of those grassland birds in Oneida County, and forest birds in Herkimer County such as the Canada warbler, the black-throated blue warbler and the black-billed cuckoo, said Mike Burger, director of conservation and science.

All those species are on the state’s list as well, and Burger said Audubon is happy with the list overall.

Perry said logging also causes problems for some species by changing the habitat and allowing other birds to move in. He’s working to protect birds at Spring Farm Cares by creating a variety of habitats in the preserve – reforestation space, beaver ponds and grassland, he said.

There are some issues, though, that New Yorkers can’t control. Warblers, except robins, aren’t doing well, partially because they winter in Central and South America where deforestation for coffee, subsistence farming and ranching is common, Perry said. “So there’s no much we can do about that,” he said, “except alter our consumer habits.”

Get involved

The state Department of Environmental Conservation's draft list of species of greatest conservation need can be found online at www.dec.ny.gov/animals/9406.html.

Comments can be sent by email to swapcomments@dec.ny.gov or joe.racette@dec.ny.gov, or mailed to Joe Racette, NYSDEC, Division of Fish Wildlife and Marine Resources, 5th floor, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233.

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