Bobolinks in Young Ward

["Stephen Peterson" <cllslp at msn dot com>]

On Sat. June 4 I saw 1 male and 1 female Bobolink in tall grasses behind my in-laws house in Young Ward (Cache Valley).

I observed the male singing and the female calling out to him. I watched the male chase the female through the field, eventually catching up to her at one point where he got on top of her, while she bent down, stretching out her wings.

We carefully inspected a small area for any nest building activity, but did not see any. I was pretty excited to say the least to witness this breeding behavior from a pair of Bobolinks in Cache Valley. The female kept low in the tall grass most of the time, while the male perched on top of the grasses.

The habitat in this area is wet meadows and pasture fields, ideal for Bobolinks, but unfortunately is grazed during the summer. The area that is part of my inlaws property (and in which I observed the birds) extends only 5-6 acres behind their house, with a small stream running through it, branching off of the Logan river.

The Bobolink is a state sensitive species because of habitat loss and fragmentation, that contributes to population decreases. The area in question is not mechanically mowed, but the cattle will graze the area in the next 2-3 weeks. This will obviously lessen the chance of this pair of birds having a successful brood, but Bobolinks have been known to renest after a failed attempt.

If they can nest in a spot that does not get trampled by the cattle, if they can avoid parasitism from the many Cowbirds and luck out on avoiding predation from feral cats, skunks, foxes, etc., these ground nesting birds may just stand a chance.

Very doubtful, but I am clinging on to hope.

 

For pics of these birds, I should have them up on www.bridgerlandaudubon.org, later today.

 

Stephen




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