Tom Gavin (Professor Emeritus, Cornell University) & Noah Perlot (Professor, Univ of New England) are recognized experts on grassland nesting birds. Their work was the basis for worksheets developed for landowners by the Ag Allies <https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b4e0a6912b13ffa1db85e3f/t/6229fd492451f0640b2da354/1646918986348/AAFactSheet-Landowners.pdf> program in Maine. Their advice <https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b4e0a6912b13ffa1db85e3f/t/6229fd492451f0640b2da354/1646918986348/AAFactSheet-Landowners.pdf> to landowners was that an 8 acre parcel is large enough to support bobolinks, other grassland nesting birds might require 15 acres or more.
Also, a few years ago Donna Scott kindly referred me to a pamphlet distributed by NYS Cornell Coop Extension on managing hayfields for grassland nesting birds <https://nyfoa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/HayfieldsGrassland_Birds_3MB.pdf>. This pamphlet uses 10-12 acres as the threshold. Alicia On 4/12/2025 12:54 PM, madonna stallmann wrote: > Hello Bird Brains! 😁 > > I recently finished a class about meadow restoration. The instructor > made a statement about ground nesting birds that I had not heard > before. It goes like this: "If you don't have acreage of 18 or more > acres, you don't need to be concerned about disturbing ground nesting > birds while conducting restoration activities (ie. mowing)." I was > unable to ask for a study reference before the class ended. Is there > anyone out there who can verify the instructor's statement? OR Do you > know where I might find information that will verify the amount of > undisturbed meadow acreage that ground nesting birds require to > establish a nesting site? > > 💐 🐦Madonna Stallmann > -- > *Cayugabirds-L List Info:* > Welcome and Basics > <http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME.htm> > Rules and Information > <http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES.htm> > Subscribe, Configuration and Leave > <http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> > *Archives:* > The Mail Archive > <http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html> > Surfbirds <http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds> > ABA <https://www.aba.org/birding-news/> > *Please submit your observations to eBird > <http://ebird.org/content/ebird/>!* > -- -- (copy & paste any URL below, then modify any text "_DOT_" to a period ".") Cayugabirds-L List Info: NortheastBirding_DOT_com/CayugabirdsWELCOME_DOT_htm NortheastBirding_DOT_com/CayugabirdsRULES_DOT_htm NortheastBirding_DOT_com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave_DOT_htm ARCHIVES: 1) mail-archive_DOT_com/cayugabirds-l@cornell_DOT_edu/maillist_DOT_html 2) surfbirds_DOT_com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) aba_DOT_org/birding-news/ Please submit your observations to eBird: ebird_DOT_org/content/ebird/ --
