Hey all, this from my friend Abby, shot at the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary on Cape Cod. This video brought back a lot of memories of when I was a little kid visiting my Grandmother on Cape Cod. She lived in North Truro and 30 years ago the land around her house was undeveloped. Lots of scrub oak, blueberries, scotch pine and native grasses perfect habitat for Northern Bobwhite. We would hear them all the time, and every once in a while we would be able to watch them foraging in my Grandmother’s garden.
But not so much anymore. Bobwhite numbers are in decline due to loss of habitat and it’s rare that I get to hear them at my Grandmother’s anymore. Here are some tips on how to help these birds out from the National Audubon Society:
What You Can Do
- Preserve Farmlands
Promote strong conservation provisions in the federal farm bill, especially the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), which pays farmers to keep marginal farmlands idle and supports millions of acres of good bird habitat. Contact your county’s office of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) or Farm Service Agency (FSA) to find out how to increase the number of acres devoted to helping birds dependent on farmlands. - Save Grasslands
Be proactive with your local, state and national officials to increase the amount of habitat that can support breeding grassland birds, in particular support smart growth and protection of open space. Promote late mowing (preferably early August in most parts of the country) in hayfields and healthy public and private ranchlands devoted to livestock grazing. Urge parks to devote large parcels to prairie restoration. Volunteer at an Important Bird Area). - Support Sustainable Forests
Push for the protection, restoration and expansion of large forest blocks to sustain the full range of forest-loving species, especially the Canadian boreal forest where logging, mining and drilling are taking their toll. Back active management (including burns) to meet specific habitat requirements on government-owned lands and incentives for active forest management on private lands. Promote deer management that allows for the maintenance of forest understory plants. - Stop Invasive Species
Work with county agricultural officials to help fight the spread of non-native annual grasses. Support strong federal, regional, state, and local regulations and research and management to combat non-native, invasive species.
More Information
Source: youtube.com
