Bilingual nature podcast
Pre-dawn sky over wheat fields and the distant Bears Paw Mountains, Chouteau County, MT.
Pre-dawn sky over wheat fields and the distant Bears Paw Mountains, Chouteau County, MT.

The wheat and the prairie

The wheat fields before dawn.
Wheat fields before dawn.

Ready, set, count birds

Ready to do the Breeding Bird Survey.
Ready to do the Breeding Bird Survey.

Birds in the wheat

Thick-billed longspur.
Thick-billed longspur.
A chemical fallow field in a no-till wheat system. The tall stubble helps hold the soil and store up moisture, readying the field for another wheat crop. Herbicide treatments prevent weeds from growing, which otherwise would rob moisture from the future wheat crop.
A chemical fallow field in a no-till wheat system. The tall stubble helps hold the soil and store up moisture, readying the field for another wheat crop. Herbicide treatments prevent weeds from growing. Otherwise, they would rob moisture from the future crop.

Wheat fields and missing birds

A pasture dotted with sagebrush, not plowed under to grow wheat, still provides habitat for Brewer's sparrows, grasshopper sparrows, and chestnut-collared longspurs.
A pasture dotted with sagebrush, not plowed under to grow wheat, still provides habitat for Brewer’s sparrows, grasshopper sparrows, and chestnut-collared longspurs.
Lark bunting at the edge of a pasture. One of many species absent from the wheat fields visible in the background.
Lark bunting at the edge of a pasture. One of many species absent from the wheat fields that are visible in the background.

Pesticides? Habitat loss?

A patch of tansy mustard (Descurainia sophia) withers after herbicide treatment at the edge of a chemical fallow field.
A patch of tansy mustard (Descurainia sophia) withers after herbicide treatment at the edge of a chemical fallow field.
Horned lark.
Horned lark.

Lonesome Lake

Sunset over Lonesome Lake.
Sunset over Lonesome Lake.

Blueberry bagels and wheat fields

A black-necked stilt forages at the edge of Lonesome Lake.
A black-necked stilt forages at the edge of Lonesome Lake.

Afterword

A chestnut-collared longspur on territory in native prairie habitat.
A chestnut-collared longspur on territory in native prairie habitat.

Further reading

Veiny dock grows along the roadside.
Veiny dock grows along the roadside.

2 Replies to “Birds in the wheat: industrial agriculture and declining birds”

  1. I appreciated listening to this Shane. Thanks for your respect and dedication. Jennifer

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