By Andrew Campomizzi, Bird Ecology and Conservation Ontario (BECO)
We are looking for farmers in Grey County who are interested in the grassland birds that nest on their
farms and how to support these species’ conservation.
Who we are
Bird Ecology and Conservation Ontario is a non-profit organization that uses ecological research to
advance the conservation of birds in Ontario. We have been studying birds on farms since 2014,
collaborating with farmers to develop and test conservation strategies to address bird population
declines.
What we are doing
In 2023, we are studying grasshopper sparrows, an uncommon little brown bird that nests on the ground
in hayfields and pastures. Grasshopper sparrows are listed as Special Concern by the governments of
Ontario and Canada.
Project details
We are looking for farmers in Grey County who manage agricultural grasslands and are willing to allow
us to conduct grassland bird surveys on their farm in May and June. On farms where we find
grasshopper sparrows, we are interested in conducting more intensive research throughout the
summer, working with farmers to implement stewardship to benefit the nesting birds and monitoring
the birds twice/week from May to mid-August.
Benefits to you
We will provide participating farmers with all of the information we collect about the birds on their farm,
including a list of all bird species detected and what species we find nesting in hayfields and pastures. We
do not require a formal commitment from farmers and implementation of stewardship actions is
voluntary. Our goal is to learn from and work with participating farmers to ensure our project is
beneficial to the agricultural community as well as grassland birds.
Thank you for considering allowing us to study the birds on your farm.
If you are interested in participating, please contact Andrew Campomizzi: andy@beco-birds.org 647.609.9431
For more information: https://www.beco-birds.org/
