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BECO heads back to the field
Despite the slow start to spring this year, many migratory songbirds have already returned and Bobolink are on their way. Over the past several days, Bobolink have been spotted in northern Ohio and upstate New York. It won't be long before their bubbly songs and territorial displays animate Ontario's hay fields, pastures, and other grasslands.
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A male Bobolink observed by BECO field biologists in May 2017.
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In just a few days, we'll desert our desks and head to the field for three months. This year, we're studying Bobolink in restored grasslands in the Luther Marsh Wildlife Management Area and in hay fields nearby where farmers have opted to delay the hay harvest until Bobolink are finished nesting.
There are several research questions we're working on this year, which all fall under two main research goals: 1) learning more about the environmental conditions that enable Bobolink to fledge young from nests and 2) evaluating the ecological impact of stewardship actions being implemented on farms to support Bobolink conservation.
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Bobolink nesting video series
In December, we posted a video about late-season Bobolink behaviour—the third video in a 3-part series produced by Gerald Morris, BECO Field Biologist. Here's episode 1, the early spring video, providing a snapshot of what we'll be observing over the next few weeks.
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BECO's research featured by Inside Ecology
Zoé Lebrun-Southcott, Executive Director and Wildlife Biologist, recently wrote an article about BECO's Bobolink research for Inside Ecology, an online magazine for Ecologists, Conservationists and Wildlife Professionals.
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