Survey shows birds thrive on ecologically friendly farms

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This article was published 30/11/2023 (680 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When you think of birds, you may think “sky,” but a recent survey suggests soil is just as important to the feathered critters.

Four farmers focused on regenerative agriculture have taken part in the first ever survey to study the link between soil health and bird populations across the province.

The Manitoba Forage & Grassland Association’s (MFGA) “On the Wings of Healthy Soil” project focused on bird populations on four different types of farms — dairy, beef, mixed and grain across the association’s network.

According to the small sample survey, conducted by Tim Poole, a species-at-risk biologist, each farm supported diverse, abundant bird populations.

The idea behind the survey was to get a better idea of how birds respond to different types of farming operations that are focused on soil health boosting practices, said Lawrence Knockaert, MFGA chairperson.

“What we learned is that these four properties supported diverse, abundant bird populations,” he said.

The survey shows just how important it is to have farms with healthy soil, says Duncan Morrison, MFGA’s executive director.

“Healthy soil is the driver of healthy ecosystems, including birds,” he said. “We’re connecting soil health to birds and biodiversity, and that continues to build the momentum for looking after your soil.”

The survey took a close look at how farming that promotes soil health, in combination with existing natural areas, such as grasslands and wetlands, could be a boon to bird populations, especially species at risk and other birds facing declining numbers.

Fifty-nine species of birds were found at Green Beach Farms in Strathclair, Man., a mixed operations farm located 92 kilometres northwest of Brandon. The diversity of habitats on the property supported the highest overall diversity of wetland birds, grassland birds and aerial insectivores.

Zack Koscielny, who owns and operates Green Beach Farms, says he’s made a lot of significant changes in how he’s been farming over the last five years, moving towards farm practices that protect and enhance the environment.

the principles of regenerative agriculture, which include topsoil regeneration, increasing biodiversity, improving the water cycle, enhancing ecosystem services, supporting biosequestration — the capture and storage of the atmospheric greenhouse gas carbon dioxide — increasing resilience to climate change, and strengthening the health and vitality of farm soil.

“We’re always looking for ways to measure success, because it’s not always so simple as a direct cause and effect kind of thing,” Koscielny said. The survey, he added, gave a way to gauge the ecosystem health of his farm. “It was an exciting opportunity to see where we’re at and what kind of progress we’ve made so far.”

He says he was most surprised at the species richness demonstrated on his farm through the survey, despite the farm being on the smaller size.

Clanman Jerseys is a dairy farm in Clanwilliam, Man., located 66 km northeast of Brandon. Sean Smith, who runs Clanman Jerseys, also sits on the MFGA board. He was happy to volunteer his farm to be part of the survey, he told the Sun.

“I actually grew up with grandparents who lived on the farm and were really into waterfowl birds. It piqued my interest to find out more,” he said. “I was interested to see what birds we had, and just what our herd management style is doing in terms of habitat for different species on our farm.”

Smiths’ farm is where the highest overall diversity of birds in the survey was found, including three species at risk – the bobolink, the barn swallow, and the red-headed woodpecker.

The bobolink is one of the world’s most impressive songbird migrants, which travels around 20,000 km to and from southern South America every year. Throughout its lifetime, it may travel the equivalent of four or five times around the circumference of the earth. The number of bobolink is declining due to loss of habitat. Originally, they were found in tallgrass prairie and other open areas with dense grass.

The barn swallow is the most abundant and widely distributed swallow species in the world. It breeds throughout the Northern Hemisphere and winters in much of the Southern Hemisphere.

The red-headed woodpecker is one of only four North American woodpeckers known to store food, and it is the only one known to over the stored food with wood or bark. It hides insects and seeds in cracks in wood, under bark, in fenceposts and under roof shingles.

The bird was historically a common species in southern Canada and the east-central United States. Consistent long-term population declines have led to the red-headed woodpecker’s threatened status in Canada and several states in the U.S. Factors attributed to the birds’ decline include loss of overall habitat and, within habitats, loss of standing dead wood required for nest sites, limitations in food supply, and possible nest-competition with other cavity nesters, such as European starlings or red-bellied woodpeckers.

Of the 600 Canadian Important Bird Areas, only seven report the red-headed woodpecker in their area – Cabot Head, Ont., on the Georgian Bay side of the tip of Bruce Peninsula; Carden Plain, Ont., east of Lake Simcoe; Long Point Peninsula and Marshes, Ont., along Lake Erie near London, Ont.; Point Abino, Ont., on Lake Erie near Niagara Falls; Port Franks Forested Dunes, Ont., northeast of Sarnia on Lake Huro; Kinosota/Leifur, Man., on the northwest side of Lake Manitoba south of The Narrows and east of Riding Mountain National Park; and long the South Saskatchewan River from Empress, Alta. to Lancer Ferry in Saskatchewan.

“It’s really good to see the abundance of birds that we have,” Smith said. “We’re lucky that we have wetlands combined with prairie, so we have a lot of habitats for different types of birds and waterfowl.”

At Nerbas Bros Angus, in Shellmouth, Man., located 214 km northwest of Brandon, the main highlight was the relatively high abundance of Sprague’s Pipit, a grassland species at risk.

The Sprague’s Pipit lives in and relies on prairie and grassland habitats. Its populations have declined tremendously as a result of the destruction of these habitats across interior North America.

Sprague’s Pipits were listed as threatened in 1999 by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. The status was re-examined and confirmed in May 2000. Sprague’s Pipits were officially listed under the Species at Risk Act as threated in June 2003.

Poole surveyed two distinct areas on the Nerbas farm, including the drier, sandier grasslands above the Assiniboine River Valley and the lusher, valley bottom grasslands. Pipits were found to be abundant at the top and the bobolink was found at the bottom, demonstrating the juxtaposition in grassland structure between two different grassland species at risk.

At Nathan and Chelsi Beerneart’s grain farm in Hartney, Man., located 78 km southwest of Brandon, an exceptional abundance of horned lark, a grassland bird which associates with bare or patchy ground and a candidate for species at risk status in Canada, was found. Five species of shorebird, all of which breed in the area, were also detected.

Despite its small sample size, the survey illustrated ecologically friendly farming can contribute to species at risk recovery, Knockaert said.

“That’s exactly what we wanted to hear. We want programs out there to be looking at working with all types of farms in the MFGA network, as well as the stereotypical bird-friendly properties.”

The province will share and exchange data with Birds Canada as part of an agreement between that organization and MFGA.

MFGA will use survey results to further support the farming practices of the four regenerative agriculture focused farms, and to showcase the value of such farms to biodiversity – especially species at risk. The association will also continue to spread the word about programs aimed at sustainably managed farms that also provide benefits to society, such as water management, carbon sequestration and biodiversity.

Smith hopes that in the future, the survey will happen again on a larger scale.

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