Bobolink

Bobolinks are Robin-sized birds, and the males are easily recognized by their odd coloration—unlike many songbirds, they are black on top, and light underneath, and with a bright yellow patch on the back of their head. The females are much less distinctive, being well-camouflaged in drab colors, but can be recognized by their similar size and shape. They are migratory birds that come to Vermont to nest in open fields in the summertime. As the Vermont landscape, and Williston in particular, changes from open agricultural land to suburban land or reforested land, the habitat for bobolink has been shrinking, and populations are in decline.

Bobolinks were most abundant during the 19th century when New England was largely cleared of forest cover for agricultural use. The species likely moved east from the prairies of the mid-west. Thus, the population and patterns of the bobolink have been heavily influenced by the human history of the landscape. While there is much debate about the implications of this—are bobolinks a “natural” part of the landscape?—there is no debate that open grassland habitat, and the bobolinks it supports, are important to Williston’s character and residents (and global biological diversity). Bobolink populations, then, can serve as a way to monitor the status of a key landscape identified in Williston’s Open Space Plan.

Bobolink populations are sensitive to the timing of hay harvest on agricultural lands. Prime hay harvest usually occurs at the height of the bobolink nesting season, in early June, and the harvest machinery can destroy the small, often invisible nests on the ground. Bird biologists and farmers have been collaborating in an effort to find a common solution that will preserve a viable hay harvest while at the same time maintaining a landscape alive with the sights and sounds of Bobolinks (UVM Research).

Finally, although Bobolinks are the focal species, many other species, like the Eastern Meadowlark, Savannah Sparrow, Meadow Voles, and Smooth Greensnakes, also make use of grassland habitat.