It’s July. Shorebird migration is upon us. That’s right, bird migration starts in July as shorebirds (like the above dowitchers) leave their breeding grounds in the Arctic, work their way down south. In Minnesota, we’ll see more shorebirds towards the end of the month and into August as they forage in flooded fields and sod farms. For many of us who love these birds, this will be bittersweet as we watch them, knowing they are headed south to the Gulf of Mexico. These birds have no idea of what they are flying into and the dangerous oil covered forage they will find (if they find food at all, who knows what will be available after the die off kicks in).
Least Sandpiper
In an effort to help birds like the above least sandpiper (which are about the size of a warbler) a federal conservation agency is asking farmers in 8 states to flood their fields to create migration habitat for the birds to fuel up on food for their long journey. From the L.A. Times:
The Migratory Bird Habitat Initiative will pay to use up to 150,000 acres of land “to provide feeding, loafing and resting areas for migratory birds,” according to an announcement by the Agriculture Department’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.
The program applies mainly to former wetlands and low-lying land in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas. Conservation officials are hoping to attract birds to safe areas before they land on shores and wetlands contaminated by the massive oil spill.
Landowners would be expected to flood fields and promote the growth of vegetation favored by migratory birds, or to enhance existing wetlands on their properties, for three to five years, said NRCS spokeswoman Chris Coulon.
Rice fields and fish farms are particularly suited to the initiative.
For birds, “it’s an alternative so they’ll have a lower probability of landing in areas affected by the oil spill,” Coulon said.
Up to $20 million has been allocated for the initiative, but how much actually is spent depends on farmers’ response, she said.
Will this actually work? Who can say, but it can’t be a bad thing to improve migratory bird habitat regardless of an oil spill.
Blue-winged Teal
It’s not just shorebirds that will benefit from this. As much as I love shorebirds, I know many average people have little idea that these birds exist, let alone visit and in some cases breed in Minnesota. This will also benefit many species of ducks like the above blue-winged teal as well as warblers, hummingbirds, orioles, buntings–all sorts of birds that feed in similar habitat to ducks and can be found in our backyards.
Do you know any relatives or friends of the family with farms in these states? Touch base with them, find out if they are aware of the program and if they are willing to sign up.
This won’t provide quite the nutritional richness of the muddy shore, nor attract birds that really go for the salty marshes, but it’s certainly better than not having wading areas there at all. California’s flooded rice fields feed millions of birds every winter, and it’s good for the fields.
I think this is a really good use of NRCS funds, and I’m glad someone in the government thought of doing it. It won’t keep all of the migratory birds away from the contaminated beaches, but maybe it will keep at least some of them inland.
You’re right, it’s certainly not a magic bullet or cure but it might help some. And again, at the end of the day, if we have more migratory habitat, that can’t be a bad thing.
This is an interesting initiative. I would hope that many farmers take them up on this. Of course, it would probably require a serious evaluation on their part for the crops they’d lose by flooding their land vs. the available compensation. I would hope that it would be fair enough to be a worthy endeavor for them.
The goal to “enhance existing wetlands” is a great one, and I would see little opposition to that issue.
Hopefully some birds can benefit. How many remains to be seen.
What a wonderful initiative! I hope it works. Good to hear that there are some in the government using their heads. In the long run, migratory birds will benefit even though it’s not a cure-all.
I am relieved to read about this smart initiative. Living in Canada, I have been worried about birds returning south for the winter. Over the next few years, flooding will provide relief for many species not only shorebirds. $20M doesn’t seem like a lot of money to compensate farmers for loss of crops; however, I am optimistic that the dedication of conservationist groups will find a way to offer these beautiful creatures a haven.
it probably will have little impact on the birds, it is their natural instinct to fly south , it will fatten them up before they get here. myself & hunting companions have had this conversation way before any of this disaster had occured. during waterfowl seasons that were not as productive ,we had talked about ducks unlimited short stopping waterfowl. I personally do not think we can do that. but what we do know is the migration patterns do tend to change from year to year . last year my friend & self had one of the worst seasons in venice due to a late season tropical storm that blew over the area we hunt 3 weeks before the opening day , now this , god please give us a break & give us something positive to look foward to .