Photo: Barbara Frei (Bobolink); Russ Chantler (Eastern Meadowlark) Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) & Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna) in Ontario Ontario Recovery Strategy Series Recovery strategy prepared under the Endangered Species Act, 2007 2013 Ministry of Natural Resources About the Ontario Recovery Strategy Series This series presents the collection of recovery strategies that are prepared or adopted as advice to the Province of Ontario on the recommended approach to recover species at risk. The Province ensures the preparation of recovery strategies to meet its commitments to recover species at risk under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the Accord for the Protection of Species at Risk in Canada. What is recovery? What’s next? Recovery of species at risk is the process by which the Nine months after the completion of a recovery strategy decline of an endangered, threatened, or extirpated a government response statement will be published species is arrested or reversed, and threats are which summarizes the actions that the Government of removed or reduced to improve the likelihood of a Ontario intends to take in response to the strategy. species’ persistence in the wild. The implementation of recovery strategies depends on the continued cooperation and actions of government agencies, individuals, communities, land users, and What is a recovery strategy? conservationists. Under the ESA a recovery strategy provides the best available scientific knowledge on what is required to For more information achieve recovery of a species. A recovery strategy outlines the habitat needs and the threats to the To learn more about species at risk recovery in Ontario, survival and recovery of the species. It also makes please visit the Ministry of Natural Resources Species at recommendations on the objectives for protection and Risk webpage at: www.ontario.ca/speciesatrisk recovery, the approaches to achieve those objectives, and the area that should be considered in the development of a habitat regulation. Sections 11 to 15 of the ESA outline the required content and timelines for developing recovery strategies published in this series. Recovery strategies are required to be prepared for endangered and threatened species within one or two years respectively of the species being added to the Species at Risk in Ontario list. There is a transition period of five years (until June 30, 2013) to develop recovery strategies for those species listed as endangered or threatened in the schedules of the ESA. Recovery strategies are required to be prepared for extirpated species only if reintroduction is considered feasible. Recovery Strategy for the Bobolink and Eastern Meadowlark in Ontario RECOMMENDED CITATION McCracken, J.D., R.A. Reid, R.B. Renfrew, B. Frei, J.V. Jalava, A. Cowie, and A.R. Couturier. 2013. Recovery Strategy for the Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) and Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna) in Ontario. Ontario Recovery Strategy Series. Prepared for the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Peterborough, Ontario. viii + 88 pp. Cover illustrations: Photo of male Bobolink (left) courtesy of Barbara Frei; photo of Eastern Meadowlark (right) courtesy of Russ Chantler. © Queen’s Printer for Ontario, 2013 ISBN 978-1-4606-0533-2 (PDF) Content (excluding the cover illustrations) may be used without permission, with appropriate credit to the source. Cette publication hautement spécialisée Recovery strategies prepared under the Endangered Species Act, 2007, n’est disponible qu’en anglais en vertu du Règlement 411/97 qui en exempte l’application de la Loi sur les services en français. Pour obtenir de l’aide en français, veuillez communiquer avec Cathy Darevic au ministère des Richesses naturelles au 705-755-5580. i Recovery Strategy for the Bobolink and Eastern Meadowlark in Ontario AUTHORS • Jon McCracken (Bird Studies Canada, Port Rowan, ON) • Ron Reid (Couchiching Conservancy, Washago, ON) • Rosalind Renfrew (Vermont Center for Ecostudies, Norwich, VT) • Barbara Frei (McGill University, Montreal, QC) • Jarmo Jalava (ecological consultant, Stratford, ON) • Amber Cowie (Ontario Nature, Toronto, ON) • Andrew Couturier (Bird Studies Canada, Port Rowan, ON) ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Funding for the preparation of this recovery strategy was provided by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (OMNR) through a contract to Bird Studies Canada (BSC). Many thanks to Vivian Brownell (OMNR) for overseeing project delivery. For important technical input, access to literature, technical insights and/or review, the authors especially thank Paul Smith (Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs – OMAFRA), Joel Bagg (OMAFRA), Jack Kyle (OMAFRA), Wasyl Bakowsky (OMNR), Vivian Brownell (OMNR), Joe Nocera (OMNR), Chris Risley (OMNR), Don Sutherland (OMNR), and Toby Alexander (United States Department of Agriculture). Development of the recovery strategy benefited from input provided by the dozens of participants who took part in workshops (Appendix A), and by the members of the provincial Bobolink/Eastern Meadowlark roundtable. Drafts of the recovery strategy benefited from review comments provided by the following OMNR staff: Amelia Argue, Erica Barkley, Jodi Benvenuti, Nikki Boucher, Adam Boudins, Graham Buck, Dawn Burke, Stephanie Chan, Eric Cobb, Todd Copeland, Bill Crins, Glenn Desy, Rhonda Donley, Jeremy Downe, Jessica Dunlop, Larry Ferguson, Marie-Ange Gravel, Jennifer Hoare, Patrick Hubert, Anita Imrie, Leanne Jennings, Catherine Jong, Lauren Kruschenske, Lynn Landriault, Greg Lucking, Lauren McDonald, Steve Mills, Gary Nielsen, Lisa Nyman, Kate Pitt, Louise Ritchie, Megan Ritzie, Jake Rouse, Jim Saunders, Carole Seysmith, Jessica Sicoly, Roxanne St. Martin, Al Stinson, Tanya Suggitt, Erin Thompson, Melinda Thompson-Black, Valerie Vaillancourt, Maria VandenHeuvel, Bree Walpole, Pamela Wesley and Katherine Yagi. Helpful comments were also provided by Environment Canada’s Canadian Wildlife Service (Madeline Austen, Graham Bryan, Mike Cadman, Angela Darwin, Krista Holmes, Tania Morais, Ken Tuininga, and Kari Van Allen) and Parks Canada Agency (Gary Allen, Kim Borg and Michael Patrikeev). Thanks also for the written comments submitted by representatives from OMAFRA (Helma Geerts, Linda Pim and Peter Robertson), Credit Valley Conservation (Charlotte Cox, Mark Eastman, Adèle Labbé, Aviva Patel and Yvette Roy), Ontario Nature (Anne ii Recovery Strategy for the Bobolink and Eastern Meadowlark in Ontario Bell), Ontario Federation of Agriculture (Peter Jeffery), Nature Conservancy of Canada (Dan Kraus and Mark Stabb), and University of Guelph (Danielle Ethier). Adam Smith (Environment Canada) kindly provided results from an updated analysis of population trend data from the Breeding Bird Survey. OMAFRA staff provided graphics and maps related to agricultural statistics. Thanks also to Marie Archambault and Alan Marsh (Environment Canada) and Eva Jenkins (Bird Studies Canada) for additional Geographic Information System services. iii Recovery Strategy for the Bobolink and Eastern Meadowlark in Ontario DECLARATION The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources has led the development of this recovery strategy for the Bobolink and Eastern Meadowlark in accordance with the requirements of the Endangered Species Act, 2007 (ESA). This recovery strategy has been prepared as advice to the Government of Ontario, other responsible jurisdictions and the many different constituencies that may be involved in recovering the species. The recovery strategy does not necessarily represent the views of all of the individuals who provided advice or contributed to its preparation, or the official positions of the organizations with which the individuals are associated. The goals, objectives and recovery approaches identified in the strategy are based on the best available knowledge and are subject to revision as new information becomes available. Implementation of this strategy is subject to appropriations, priorities and budgetary constraints of the participating jurisdictions and organizations. Success in the recovery of this species depends on the commitment and cooperation of many different constituencies that will be involved in implementing the directions set out in this strategy. RESPONSIBLE JURISDICTIONS Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources Environment Canada – Canadian Wildlife Service Parks Canada Agency iv Recovery Strategy for the Bobolink and Eastern Meadowlark in Ontario EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) and Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna) both rely upon grasslands for breeding, have similar breeding distributions in Ontario, often co-occur in the same fields, have similar population trajectories, and face similar threats. Because of these relationships, the two species are represented within a single recovery strategy. Prior to European settlement in eastern North America, Bobolinks and Eastern Meadowlarks nested in native prairies, savannahs, alvar grasslands, beaver meadows, burned-over areas, and areas cleared for agriculture by First Nations. Although most such habitat was destroyed following European settlement, the two species quickly adopted newly-created surrogate grasslands – primarily pastures and hayfields – as nesting habitat. Indeed, were it not for the creation of these agricultural habitats for livestock, the two species may well have disappeared from large parts of their original range. Though still common and widespread, the Bobolink and Eastern Meadowlark were recently designated as threatened species in