Blank et al • WINTERING BIRD RESPONSE TO FALL MOWING 
63 
Mowing should not be the sole form of 
management in herbaceous plantings to maintain 
early successional habitat (McCoy et al. 2001, 
Harper 2007). Mowing can accelerate grass 
succession and litter accumulation which creates 
unfavorable conditions for wildlife (McCoy et al. 
2001). Burning, discing, and targeted herbicide 
applications may be more effective than mowing 
for maintaining optimal early successional habitat 
for wildlife (Harper 2007). 
CONSERVATION IMPLICATIONS 
Our results clearly indicate the negative 
impacts of fall mowing of herbaceous buffers on 
wintering bird communities in Maryland. This 
study has implications for the mowing schedules 
of many types of herbaceous habitats, including 
lawns, meadows, grasslands, and powerline 
rights-of-ways, and has particular relevance to 
management of herbaceous CRP or CREP plant¬ 
ings. When possible, leaving these herbaceous 
areas unmowed through winter will likely provide 
better habitat for wintering birds. 
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 
We thank D. E. Gill, L. W. Adams, P. P. Marra, and G. L. 
Brewer for help with study design. We thank the many farm 
owners that allowed us to work on their properties. The 
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the 
Farm Service Agency staff in Queen Anne's and Talbot 
counties helped with locating CREP buffers and with 
technical information. J. E. Gerber and the staff at 
Chesapeake Wildlife Heritage provided technical informa¬ 
tion and advice. P. J. Barbour, C. A. Rewa, and S. V. Strano 
provided comments on earlier versions of the manuscript. 
Funding was provided by the NRCS Agricultural Wildlife 
Conservation Center. 
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