Post by Woody Williams on Sept 25, 2005 18:03:17 GMT -5
Music revival: Help bring back the bobwhite's song
By SHARON SORENSON, For the Birds
September 25, 2005
"In my childhood," wrote Breeze Sobek of Mount Vernon, Ind., "bobwhite quail were so common in our yard we used to tease them, calling back 'bobwhite' to get them to answer. Last week I heard one and was so happy."
The bobwhite's declining population mirrors that of most grassland birds that live on or near the ground, eat grass seeds, scavenge wasted grain and prey on grassland insects. According to Quail Unlimited (www.qu.org), the bobwhite population declined from an estimated 59 million birds in 1980 to 20 million in 1999. And 6-year-old statistics surely leave room for further decline.
What's happened? As in nearly every case of declining bird populations, grassland or otherwise, human encroachment destroys birds' habitat. Call it "creeping concrete syndrome": more housing developments, more roads, more shopping centers, more extensive agriculture. All contribute to the loss of "wild" for wildlife habitat. And if birds find no suitable place to live, they move on. Or die.
Grassland birds can't live in woods or wetlands. They cannot survive in cities or suburbs. They can't move on because other grasslands already support all the birds they can. And unlike humans, birds can't crowd together in high-rise apartments and shop at shopping centers. Every bird requires a given territory to sustain its need for food, water and shelter. So as grasslands disappear, grassland birds disappear.
Bobwhites are gallinaceous birds; that is, they live on the ground, fly only when threatened, scratch for food, and have crops and gizzards like chickens. Their ground-bound lives depend on weed seeds, grain and insects; and unkempt fence rows and brushy, weedy creek banks provide passageways from one food source to another.
Unfortunately for birds, most folks insist on tidy, clean fence rows, mowed creek and ditch banks, and closely cropped roadsides. They further habitat loss.
Of course, predation reduces ground-nesters' numbers, too. But while roaming dogs, raccoons, skunks, snakes and hawks find bird eggs and hatchlings tasty treats, adequate habitat provides protection from the worst predation. Severe weather conditions further threaten grassland birds: Drought seriously reduces seed and insect production; deep snow covers food supplies and shelter; and extreme cold demands birds eat hearty to sustain body heat. Under those conditions, bobwhites and fellow ground-dwellers suffer.
But there's good news: You can help.
On a big scale, because of declining bobwhite populations, a federal initiative called Habitat Buffers for Upland Birds "encourages landowners to create buffers of native warm-season grasses, legumes, wildflowers, forbs and shrubs along agricultural field borders." Financial reimbursement for planting these buffers more than makes up for any resulting crop loss. While the intent is to increase bobwhite populations for hunters, the habitat will likewise support other bird populations: meadowlarks; white-throated, white-crowned, chipping and song sparrows; thrashers, towhees, juncos, cardinals, chickadees, titmice, doves and others.
But on a small scale, you can do something similar for backyard birds. Accept a messy fence row. Skip the herbicides. Be slow to mow a backyard patch to let a little "wild" return to your property, somewhere where native grasses and wildflowers, a bit of bramble or brush, maybe a scattering of "wild" can offer ground dwellers sustaining winter food and cover.
Better yet, invite your neighbors to join you in establishing a bit of wild along your joint property lines and across the backsides of your yards. In five years, Quail Unlimited planted 9.7 million pounds of seed on 847,000 acres and planted 373,000 trees and shrubs.
By replacing even a tiny plot of grassland, you'll create a lively backyard, a habitat that ground-dwelling feathered friends can call home.
www.courierpress.com/ecp/community/article/0,1626,ECP_737_4100886,00.html
By SHARON SORENSON, For the Birds
September 25, 2005
"In my childhood," wrote Breeze Sobek of Mount Vernon, Ind., "bobwhite quail were so common in our yard we used to tease them, calling back 'bobwhite' to get them to answer. Last week I heard one and was so happy."
The bobwhite's declining population mirrors that of most grassland birds that live on or near the ground, eat grass seeds, scavenge wasted grain and prey on grassland insects. According to Quail Unlimited (www.qu.org), the bobwhite population declined from an estimated 59 million birds in 1980 to 20 million in 1999. And 6-year-old statistics surely leave room for further decline.
What's happened? As in nearly every case of declining bird populations, grassland or otherwise, human encroachment destroys birds' habitat. Call it "creeping concrete syndrome": more housing developments, more roads, more shopping centers, more extensive agriculture. All contribute to the loss of "wild" for wildlife habitat. And if birds find no suitable place to live, they move on. Or die.
Grassland birds can't live in woods or wetlands. They cannot survive in cities or suburbs. They can't move on because other grasslands already support all the birds they can. And unlike humans, birds can't crowd together in high-rise apartments and shop at shopping centers. Every bird requires a given territory to sustain its need for food, water and shelter. So as grasslands disappear, grassland birds disappear.
Bobwhites are gallinaceous birds; that is, they live on the ground, fly only when threatened, scratch for food, and have crops and gizzards like chickens. Their ground-bound lives depend on weed seeds, grain and insects; and unkempt fence rows and brushy, weedy creek banks provide passageways from one food source to another.
Unfortunately for birds, most folks insist on tidy, clean fence rows, mowed creek and ditch banks, and closely cropped roadsides. They further habitat loss.
Of course, predation reduces ground-nesters' numbers, too. But while roaming dogs, raccoons, skunks, snakes and hawks find bird eggs and hatchlings tasty treats, adequate habitat provides protection from the worst predation. Severe weather conditions further threaten grassland birds: Drought seriously reduces seed and insect production; deep snow covers food supplies and shelter; and extreme cold demands birds eat hearty to sustain body heat. Under those conditions, bobwhites and fellow ground-dwellers suffer.
But there's good news: You can help.
On a big scale, because of declining bobwhite populations, a federal initiative called Habitat Buffers for Upland Birds "encourages landowners to create buffers of native warm-season grasses, legumes, wildflowers, forbs and shrubs along agricultural field borders." Financial reimbursement for planting these buffers more than makes up for any resulting crop loss. While the intent is to increase bobwhite populations for hunters, the habitat will likewise support other bird populations: meadowlarks; white-throated, white-crowned, chipping and song sparrows; thrashers, towhees, juncos, cardinals, chickadees, titmice, doves and others.
But on a small scale, you can do something similar for backyard birds. Accept a messy fence row. Skip the herbicides. Be slow to mow a backyard patch to let a little "wild" return to your property, somewhere where native grasses and wildflowers, a bit of bramble or brush, maybe a scattering of "wild" can offer ground dwellers sustaining winter food and cover.
Better yet, invite your neighbors to join you in establishing a bit of wild along your joint property lines and across the backsides of your yards. In five years, Quail Unlimited planted 9.7 million pounds of seed on 847,000 acres and planted 373,000 trees and shrubs.
By replacing even a tiny plot of grassland, you'll create a lively backyard, a habitat that ground-dwelling feathered friends can call home.
www.courierpress.com/ecp/community/article/0,1626,ECP_737_4100886,00.html
