Working Landscapes

This past Saturday, fellow CES staffer Dan Small and I attended a grassland and shrubland bird symposium sponsored by Virginia Working Landscapes and held at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia.  VWL is a consortium of groups interested in, among other things, establishing demonstration sites to showcase best practices for various land uses on working farms and creating a network for landowners to exchange information and ideas.

Bobolink in fall plumage.

We knew it was going to be a good day when the first item on the agenda was a bird walk and tour of a nearby farm.  The group of 25 or so landowners and managers admired and discussed the grass buffers, their species composition and what problems or challenges they had faced in their own efforts to create and maintain grasslands.  As we ambled through Big Bluestem and Indian Grass we heard the constant calls of Bobolinks moving between the grass stand and the adjacent alfalfa field.   Other grassland birds detected included Grasshopper Sparrows and a Dickcissel.  It was almost as though Dan had planted the birds as a primer for his talk about the CRFRS grasslands (he highlighted all three species).

Male Dickcissel.  Photo by Bill Hubick

Back at the lecture hall, speakers covered such topics as bird-friendly haying practices on Vermont dairy farms, maximizing bird habitat on public lands and identifying suitable habitat for Golden-winged Warblers.  Dan Small, representing CRFRS and CES, described the establishment and management of the warm season grasslands on Chino Farms/ Chester River Field Research Station and the birds that have colonized the site.

CES Field Ecologist Dan Small discussing the Chino grasslands.

Mike Wilson, of William and Mary’s Center for Conservation Biology, spoke about determining the appropriate use of land based on the size of the area.  Many grassland birds require larger spaces for breeding habitat than other species.  This means that you could install a perfect looking five acre grassland, but those five acres are probably not enough to sustain any grassland birds.  If you only have five acres of property, he suggests managing it as a shrubland instead.  Many species of birds requiring second-growth scrub/shrub habitats are in decline.  Birds such as Golden-winged Warblers, Yellow-breasted Chats, Dickcissels and Northern Bobwhites are facing great challenges due to habitat loss and could greatly benefit from managing lands for them.

Shrub/scrub habitat may look messy to humans, but looks safe and inviting to birds and other wildlife.

We met many enthusiastic landowners who wanted to provide the great bird habitat that was also compatible with other land uses such as haying, farming and hunting.  It was exciting to see so many like-minded folks and to hear about some of the compromises available to landowners.  Several expressed interest in seeing CRFRS firsthand and learning more about what we have accomplished on Chino.

Information on Virginia Working Landscapes can be found on  their website. Though geared toward Virginians, much of the information is relevant to Marylanders.  Many land restoration projects can be supported through grants from the NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service).   Thanks to Bill Hubick for the use of his Dickcissel photo.

Maren Gimpel is a field ecologist at the Chester River Field Research Station.  Photos and stories about the goings on of CRFRS can be found at www.facebook.com/crfrc or at www.washcoll.edu/ces/chesterriverfieldresearchcenter

Bobolink...What's that?

Male Bobolink. Photo by Bill Hubick.

Well, it’s a bird and a fascinating one at that. The Bobolink, Dolichonyx oryzivorus, is a songbird in the blackbird family (Icteridae).  As you can see from the pictures to the right and below, males and female are sexually dimorphic in the spring and summer months when the male has unmistakable black and white plumage with a straw colored nape. The female retains cryptic coloration year-round which is made up of straw colored body plumage with black streaking on the flanks.  Bobolinks are long distant migrants traveling thousands of miles annually from their breeding grounds in North America to their wintering grounds in South America, roughly 6000 miles one way!!! Males not only have unique plumage, but have a very unique song, follow this link to hear what they sound like, http://www.xeno-canto.org/sounds/uploaded/CDTGHVBGZP/BOBO2007-6-3-2.mp3, recorded by Andrew Spencer.  Some people think they sound like R2-D2 from Star Wars.

Female Bobolink. Photo by Bill Hubick.

Bobolinks require grasslands or something very similar, like alfalfa or hay fields, in which to nest. They can be found in Maryland during migration in both spring and fall and they breed in western and northern counties in the state. Maryland is at the very southern end of the breeding range for Bobolinks. They don’t breed on the eastern shore, but some attempt to nest in the northern reaches of Cecil County in hay fields.

Bobolinks have experienced range-wide population declines due to a variety of reasons, with habitat loss considered the single biggest factor. Most native grasslands and wet meadows have disappeared and they have been forced to nest in crop and hay fields as a result.  In terms of habitat quality, hay fields are not bad, but the problem is harvesting the hay while birds are still nesting. Farmers need to cut the hay at its nutritional peak which is often prior to young birds fledging or when they are still too young to fly. Biologists, especially in Vermont, are working with farmers to delay the cutting to allow nests to fledge.

Adult male Bobolink in breeding plumage.

Many Bobolinks use the CRFRS restored grassland on Chino Farm as stopover and refueling site during spring migration. But, the best time to see them in the grasslands is July through September. Adult males arrive first, still in their distinctive breeding plumage, followed by adult females and then in August and September by the young of the year. The restored grasslands provide critical habitat for the Bobolinks that stop here in the fall. Not only do the grasslands provide a bounty of food, in the form of insects and unlimited grass seed, but the tall thick fields act as a refuge. Bobolinks are somewhat unique among east coast birds in that they do not molt on their breeding grounds or the wintering grounds, but rather somewhere in between. This is where the restored grasslands are important.  

Adult male Bobolink undergoing flight feather molt.

 

 

Molt is the process of feather replacement that all birds under take annually. Soon after the adult Bobolinks arrive in the grasslands they begin the pre-basic molt which is complete, meaning they will molt, or replace, all their feathers. Only after this molt is complete in about 3-4 weeks will these birds continue their south-bound migration. All Bobolinks will again undergo a complete molt prior to leaving their wintering grounds for their spring migration back north. Flocks of over 300 individuals have been seen in the fields. What we don’t know yet is whether the same individuals use the grasslands as a molting ground every year or whether we always see different individuals. There are only two bird species in North America that go through two complete molts each year, Bobolinks are one of them, do you know what the other species is?

Sweeping views of the CRFRS restored grasslands on Chino Farm.

The CRFRS restored grasslands are not only providing critical breeding habitat for declining species such as Grasshopper Sparrow, Field Sparrow, Dickcissel and Northern Bobwhite and are a great winter habitat for a diversity of grassland dependent species but are also playing a fundamental role in the life cycle of Bobolinks.

Thanks to Bill Hubick for the use of his photographs. More of his photos can be seen at www.billhubick.com

Dan Small is a field ecologist at the Chester River Field Research Station and spends just about everyday in the summer months in the restored grasslands. For more information go to www.facebook.com/crfrc or www.washcoll.edu/ces/chesterriverfieldresearchcenter

Other than water, what does the rain bring?

No alarm needed this morning.   Thunder was crackling and rain falling well before the 6 a.m. clang of the set clock.  Rainfall on the eastern shore evokes different feelings for different people.  Farmers, for example, are happy that their parched corn might survive to adulthood. My mind then moves to the ramification of the rain in the Chester River Watershed, where the drops hit and and, ultimately,  what it collects as it flows down hill off the fields and into the Bay. It’s a light rain so it’s unlikely that there will be runoff.  Where will the water end up and what will it bring with it?

Yesterday I was over at Foremans Branch on Chino Farms in Chestertown talking with Ted Kimble and Henry Davis about siting a most sophisticated water quality sampling station.  Ted’s going to work with Choptank Electric to drop the electric service in, that will power the station.  Henry will work his magic clearing the long grass and shrubs so the system can be installed and serviced without a threat of contracting poison ivy.  We’re talking with Dr. Jim Gruber to make sure that this project doesn’t interfere with his bird banding research.  We also had to know how high the water gets during slamming rainfall that happens during Nor’easters and hurricanes. So much to do before we take our first sample.

The fancy gizmo will pump water quietly from Foremans Branch to the sensors and then gravity will whisk it back to whence it came. The sensors will let us know what is coming off of the fields and through the grounds from the farm, woods, and grasslands into the water.  During dry times we’ll know that the contributions we’re measuring are leaking into the water through the ground.  When it rains we originally would have expected to see spikes in stuff coming into the water because of runoff.  Our friend Judy Denver up at USGS says that’s probably not the case. We’ll likely see water quality improve during these “freshets”. That’s because the additional water dilutes the nutrients and other “additives” from the farms and roads.  Even though the water quality improves, the volume of water flowing through the system is so high that, overall, the amount of extraneous materials entering the system is still elevated. Look at it this way.  If you have a gallon of water with a pound of sugar in it, it tastes like sugar water.  If you have five gallons of water with two pounds of sugar in it, there is more sugar, but it doesn’t taste as sweet.  So rain and runoff probably worsens water quality.  Doug, did you say “Probably?”.  Yes, I did. 

Once we install this Hach Water Quality measuring station we’ll investigate the truth of this assertion.  Water temperature, salinity, conductivity, pH (acidity), dissolved oxygen, turbidity (how dirty the water is), nutrient content, and water level data will be sent to our website every fifteen minutes.  Coupled with a weather station on the farm we’ll be able to see the relationship between rainfall and water quality.  Communicating with the farm we’ll be able to see how farming practices, including fertilizer application, relates to changes in the chemistry of the water flowing through Foremans Branch down to the Chester River.  We’re hoping to have this information on line for everyone to see.  This will change that "Probably" to an answer with more certainty. I’ll let you know when we throw the switch.  Get in touch if you have questions. Doug Levin is the  Associate Director, Center for Environment & Society @ Washington College and can be reached at dlevin2@washcoll.edu.

This is the site where we originally thought the water quality installation was going.

This photo taken at flood stage convinced us to place the system up the hill from the bridge.

Chino Farm: A Week in Pictures

This week at the banding station Amanda Spears caught one of the first migrants of the season: a Black and White Warbler!

Bobolinks are officially here to stay. Well...at least to molt. The grasslands are getting filled up with Bobolinks as they feast on foxtail grass and begin their molt before continuing south on migration.

This past week banding on the grasslands jumped in numbers. Among the birds being captured were Orchard Orioles, like this one.

The nesting continues! Grasshopper Sparrows are trying to get one more clutch in before they have to start worrying about migration.

We've been happy to see plenty of young Northern Bobwhite around the grasslands this summer. It seems like they've had a productive breeding season. To check out the latest from the grasslands take a look at our Facebook page.
Next week marks the start of fall banding at FBBO, don't forget to check out our website for the latest updates from the banding station!

From My Perch

As I drove down High Street to the Custom House this morning, I looked straight ahead to the river.  It was calm.  Flat.  The air was cool, the skies were overcast, and that pretty, cyan green ketch that visits Chestertown every summer from New England was poised on the water as though waiting for its close-up, Mr. DeMille.  Close to the High Street dock was a raft of mallards soaking up the warmth of the pavement.

A day at the Custom House always begins with a view of the river.  Lucky I am.  I try to wrangle all of CES from my desk in the house ... all seven who work in the Custom House and the many others who make vital contributions to our good work from farther afield.  You've heard from most of the others.  I'm here to make their jobs easier.

All in a day's work.


Jenifer is the Coordinator and Office Manager for the Center for Environment & Society and can be contacted here.

Monardas of Maryland

Each time I walk by some Monarda in the restored grasslands at Chino Farms I’m reminded how beautiful nature can be.  Others working in the fields this summer have also commented on the beauty of these plants and asked if I knew what they were. Inspired by these questions, here is an overview of the species of Monarda found in Maryland.

Bee Balm, Monarda didyma. Has brilliant crimson flowers with oval, narrowly pointed and toothed leaves. Found in moist woods, thickets and bottomlands.

Monarda is a genus made up of 16 species, five of which occur in Maryland and all of which are endemic to North America. Monardas belong in the family Lamiaceae (the mint family) and share several characteristics common in the mint family such as having square stems and leaves that are fragrant when crushed.

Four out of the five species occurring in Maryland can be found on Chino Farms. Dotted Monarda and Wild Bergamot are found growing in the restored grasslands while Bee Balm and Purple Bergamot were planted in the native plant garden at Foreman’s Branch Bird Observatory. 

Purple Bergamot, Monarda media. Purple Flowers with leaves that are oval or broadly triangular. Found in moist woods and thickets.

Wild Bergamot, Monarda fitulosa. Pink flowers with narrowly triangular or oval leaves that are pointed and toothed. Upland woods, thickets and prairies.

Several Native American tribes used plants in the genus Monarda for medicinal purposes. They were used as antiseptics, made into a tea to treat mouth and throat infections and also used to stop headaches.  Monards were also used to season game meat. 

Dotted Monarda, Monarda punctata. Whitish to pink flowers with narrow oval or oblong leaves. Found in dry fields and roadsides.

Bee Balm, White Bergamot and Purple Bergamot are found in the mountainous regions of Maryland, while Wild Bergamot and Dotted Monarda are widespread and can be found throughout the state. White Bergamot is ranked as a S1 plant (highly state rare) by the Maryland Natural Heritage Program, and Purple Bergamot is ranked as a SU meaning possibly rare but status uncertain. 

White Bergamot, Monarda clinopodia.  White flowers with narrow triangular or oval leaves that are rounded at the base. Found in moist woods, thickets, ravines and banks. Photo by Homer Price.

 Thanks to Homer Edward Price for his use of his photo, http://www.flickr.com/photos/28340342@N08/2981721109/. Information for this post was gathered from Wikipedia, the MD Natural Heritage Programs, Rare, Threatened and Endangered Plants of MD report, http://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/Plants_Wildlife/rte/pdfs/rte_Plant_List.pdf. An excellent wildflower guide, Wildflowers in the Field and Forest by Steven Clemants and Carol Gracie was also very useful.

Dan Small is a field ecologist at the Chester River Field Research Station