The Bobolink Project, a collaborative partnership between Audubon Vermont, Mass Audubon and Audubon Connecticut with help from UVM's Dr. Allan Strong, reached new highs in 2018. The project uses donations from the general public to pay farmers to alter their haying practices to benefit grassland birds.
In 2018, Audubon Vermont worked with 16 Vermont farmers to manage roughly 800 acres of grasslands. This is more than previous years' totals of approximately 600 acres per year. An estimated 322 Bobolink and two Eastern Meadowlark pairs nested on these managed grasslands in 2018, producing a record number of Bobolink fledglings. Biologists estimated about 866 Bobolink chicks survived to fledging, surpassing previous years' success rates.
You can find more information on the Bobolink Project and how you can donate to the 2019 field season at www.bobolinkproject.com or contact Mark LaBarr at mlabarr@audubon.org or Margaret Fowle at mfowle@audubon.org.
Learn more about Audubon Vermont's role in the Bobolink Project: http://vt.audubon.org/bobolink
![Bobolink A male Bobolink rests on a milkweed plant.](https://vt.audubon.org/sites/default/files/styles/bean_wysiwyg_full_width/public/img_8773_zpsjhrtw1qt.jpg?itok=MYsUs4kA)