Here's my take: I think a cut-off date (a one-date-fits-all approach) is pretty hopeless, as it forces you to postpone all your cutting until quite late, reducing the economic viability of your business operation.
In my opinion it's much better to do an assessment year-by-year and field-by-field. Beginning in late May or early June, you study each of the fields you intend to cut, in order to determine which species are currently breeding there, and then you schedule the cuttings accordingly. Fields without any breeding birds can be cut as early as you please. Fields with species that are under very serious threat in your region can be left entirely untouched. And for all the cases in between those extremes, you can consult resources like the NY breeding season tables, and try to balance the economic needs of your operation against the interests of present species that may indeed suffer immediate reproductive losses at your hands, but that would have no future in our region if your activity were so unprofitable that it ceased altogether and all the fields reverted to forest. -Geo > On Mar 14, 2016, at 3:39 PM, Donna Lee Scott <d...@cornell.edu> wrote: > > While I can understand why Michael wants to keep the conversation with the > livestock person off the list, I think it would benefit many of us if we knew > what are the recommendations are for when is the best time to mow hay or > grass fields with regard to protecting nesting grassland birds and their > offspring. > > I would like this information to be posted on the list. > I often toy with the idea of trying to convince some local landowners here in > Lansing to mow large grass expanses in later summer, but I don’t know what > the cut-off date is. > > Donna L. Scott > Lansing Station Road > Lansing, NY > > From: bounce-120268126-15001...@list.cornell.edu > [mailto:bounce-120268126-15001...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Michael O. > Engle > Sent: Monday, March 14, 2016 2:24 PM > To: CAYUGABIRDS-L <cayugabird...@list.cornell.edu> > Subject: [cayugabirds-l] help determining the time to mow fields > > Hi, > > I had a chat with a local livestock raiser at Winter Market this weekend. He > hays a number of fields and would like some guidance on the best time to do > the haying to protect birds that nest in the fields he cuts. Please respond > to me off list, and I will pass his contact information along. > > Thanks, > > Michael > > +++++++++++++++++ > Michael Engle, > Reference and Instruction Librarian > Selector, Olin/Uris Reference and Anglo-American News > 106 Olin Library, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 > Email: m...@cornell.edu; Telephone: (607) 255-1884 > > -- > Cayugabirds-L List Info: > Welcome and Basics > Rules and Information > Subscribe, Configuration and Leave > Archives: > The Mail Archive > Surfbirds > BirdingOnThe.Net > Please submit your observations to eBird! > -- > -- > Cayugabirds-L List Info: > Welcome and Basics > Rules and Information > Subscribe, Configuration and Leave > Archives: > The Mail Archive > Surfbirds > BirdingOnThe.Net > Please submit your observations to eBird! > -- -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
