down. but not out.
Claudia Winters, Natural Lands’ assistant preserve manager for Sadsbury, Willisbrook, and Green Hills Preserves, is a self-professed birder. But really, she is a wildlifer. She has a passion for myriad critters and the natural areas that protect and sustain them.
Claudia’s appreciation for the outdoors began at an early age. “Starting when I was very young, I would climb the pine trees out in the yard. I was so small that I could get almost all the way to the top. From 50 feet up, I would look out over the surrounding farms and fields as the tree top swayed in the wind.”
As a bird lover, she’s kept looking out and up, usually with binoculars at the ready.
Grasshopper Sparrow photo by Bill Moses
Except when it comes to looking for Bobolinks, Eastern Meadowlarks, or Grasshopper Sparrows during spring breeding season. These native songbird species all build their nests on the ground, tucked between clumps of meadow grasses. To spot these tiny nests, Claudia has to look down and be careful where she steps.
“They pick a spot, usually a little depression in the ground, and then weave dried grasses into a tiny cup-shaped nest,” said Claudia. “They’re so well camouflaged.”
Nationwide, grassland birds are struggling. Researchers estimate many species have lost more than half their population since 1970. One quarter of these are “Tipping Point Species”: birds that are predicted to lose another 50 percent of their population in the next 50 years.
These bird species spend their winters in the southern U.S., Central, or South America. They migrate north in the spring to breed in the grasslands of the northern U.S. and southern Canada. With the decline of native prairies and meadows, these species have adapted well to hayfields and pastures. However, as more farms are lost to development, grassland species are struggling to survive.
Fortunately, the meadows and farm fields of Natural Lands’ preserves are ideal nesting habitat for ground-nesting birds. That is, of course, unless the land is mowed before the baby birds have fledged.
“We can control when we mow our fields or when our farmers harvest their crops. All Natural Lands properties with native grassland or farmland are managed through delayed mowing practices with a ‘no-mow before’ date of July 15th,” said Claudia. “But we need to spread the word to other landowners and farmers if we’re going to give these birds a fighting chance.”
Bobolink photo by Bill Moses
That’s why Natural Lands has joined up with Willistown Conservation Trust (WCT) to partner on the Grassland Bird Collaboration, which WCT launched in 2022. With a grant from the Cornell Land Trust Bird Conservation Initiative, the Collaboration reaches out to Chester County property owners and the farmers who work these lands. “We work with these partners to provide guidance on best management practices to benefit the three focal species: Bobolink, Eastern Meadowlark, and Grasshopper Sparrow,” said Claudia.
One of the most vital land management practices is to delay mowing during the breeding period. Mowing before birds complete their nesting cycle removes available habitat. Implementing a “no-mow” period when there are babies and fledglings in a field allows young birds to develop in a safe environment before the nesting grounds are disturbed.
So far, the Collaboration has enrolled more than 1,000 acres of privately held land to participate in “bird-sensitive” field management practices. The goal is to expand that number to 1,500 acres.
Chester County is well positioned to support this conservation effort thanks to local mushroom farms and their demand for mulch hay. Mushroom houses prefer later-season hay that has been left to mature and dry in the fields. Providing for the mushroom market creates a double benefit: less disruption both to farming practices and to grassland birds during their crucial breeding period.
Eastern Meadowlark photo by Bill Moses
“The unique local agricultural market provides a great opportunity to work with farmers to meet our conservation goals,” says Zoë Warner, project manager for the Grassland Bird Collaboration. “This enables us to increase the wildlife benefit of conserved land within a large contiguous preservation belt. The land will not simply be ‘open space.’ It will provide valuable and essential breeding grounds to help reverse the precipitous decline of grassland birds.”
“These birds don’t just rely on our fields and meadows for nesting. They also use them as stopover sites or staging grounds, before or during migration,” said Claudia, who coordinates Natural Lands’ involvement in the Grassland Bird Collaboration, including monitoring breeding pairs of grassland species at Bryn Coed, ChesLen, and Stroud Preserves. “We found that Bobolinks, in particular, feast on insects and seeds in preparation for their 6,000-mile journey back to South America. Especially when most of the surrounding fields have been mowed, the grasslands enrolled in the program are a lifeline to these amazing animals.”
aiding in the effort.
Volunteers Mike Niven and Kristen Cooney, both members of Natural Lands’ Force of Nature®, are also trained volunteer bird surveyors and serve an important role with the Grassland Bird Collaboration.
Photo: Amanda Osborne-Lomax
Mike and Kristen collect and submit data using eBird—a free, online program that allows users to track bird species—at designated monitoring sites on both nature preserves and private properties enrolled in the Grassland Bird Collaboration program. Like fellow surveyors, they follow specific protocols to record all avian observations. Their monitoring focuses on Bobolinks; Eastern Meadowlarks; Horned Larks; and Grasshopper, Field, and Savannah Sparrows.
Said Mike Niven, “I really enjoyed assisting with the collaboration because it allowed me to see how the scientific process works and gives me a sense of accomplishment knowing that I am potentially helping. I know that it will take years to make a difference, but I am looking forward to seeing if some of these species return to Chester County in higher numbers.”