Locals Work to Protect Virginia’s Grassland Birds

Written by Bill Kent

If only grassland birds weren’t so good at hiding.

“You can easily miss a nest, even when you’re right on top of it,” October Greenfield, of the Piedmont Environmental Council, says. Also a co-coordinator of the Virginia Grassland Bird Initiative (VGBI), Greenfield guides birders, farmers, landowners, and wildlife enthusiasts through Hunt Country grasslands during the spring nesting season. 

“A lot of people are surprised to find out that some birds nest on the ground,” she shares. “Because we’ve been studying these habitats, we know where some of the nests are. But you never know what you’ll find until you look.”

Unlike birds that nest in trees, barns, or backyard birdhouses, grassland species choose hayfields, paddocks, and grassy wilderness areas bordering streams. From now through the end of June, species like the eastern meadowlark, grasshopper sparrow, bobolink, Savannah sparrow, and northern bobwhite quail will weave intricate nests, forage, and take cover in a hidden habitat that they share with box turtles, foxes, and the occasional fawn.

“To us, it might look like an empty, overgrown field,” Greenfield continues. “But to grassland birds, it’s home.”

This home is becoming harder for birds to find. “There’s no single cause,” Greenfield adds. But encroaching development, data centers, landscaping, agricultural intensification, and other land uses that require the elimination of grasslands “have all put pressure on our grassland ecosystems.”

Doug Tallamy, professor of agriculture and natural resources at the University of Delaware, has the statistics. “Over the last 50 years, we’ve lost 3 billion breeding birds in this country,” he says. “Restoring these populations must be a priority because birds help maintain a productive ecosystem. Preserving those ecosystems is not optional. They are the life support for humans, no matter where we live.”

VGBI’s intentions, Tallamy adds, “are right on. Getting this message to landowners is essential.”

Formed in 2021, the Initiative seeks to do just that. A collaboration between the Piedmont Environmental Council, the Smithsonian’s Virginia Working Landscapes, the American Farmland Trust, and Quail Forever, VGBI covers 16 Commonwealth counties, from Loudoun and Clarke in the north to Albemarle and Augusta in the south. 

According to VGBI Coordinator Justin Proctor, a Smithsonian conservation biologist, the Orange County Hounds and the Blue Ridge Hunt have been very supportive of VGBI’s efforts to catalyze more wildlife conservation on private lands in Hunt Country.

“We have had phenomenal support from members of the hunt clubs, landowners, and farmers alike,” Proctor says. “There is so much interest in supporting our native wildlife that we never find ourselves having to cold call. People reach out to us.” 

Among the first to call were Melissa and Mark Winchester at Westbourne, after attending a luncheon at sculptor Diana Reuter-Twining’s Bull Run Farm with Dr. Amy Johnson, director of Virginia Working Landscapes. “The message about protecting grassland birds was captivating and inspiring,” Melissa Winchester says. “I left the presentation feeling like not only did we want to do something to protect grassland birds, but that we could easily take measures to protect them.” 

Proctor showed the Winchesters what VGBI calls “best management practices,” like leaving winter cover in place, implementing rotational grazing, and delaying the first cut of hay until the first of July. Proctor recalls that “within a year, they transformed hundreds of acres into productive bird habitat by making small tweaks to their haying and mowing regimes. These practices lead to improved soils, better water retention, and an increase in ecosystem services, resulting in a landscape more resilient to drought, floods, and disease.”

The Winchesters also installed nest boxes around the farm, planted native grasses, and restored riparian buffers. Their immediate result was an increase in birds, and with them, birdsong. “Most importantly,” Melissa adds, “we have seen our own interest and understanding of the ecology and biodiversity of our farm grow.” The Winchesters have become ambassadors for VGBI and other conservation organizations, hosting events for schools as well as landowners who want to learn more about how these practices can be successfully implemented. 

Because many Virginia farms cut hay in the early springtime, VGBI offers financial compensation to farmers willing to let 20 acres or more of their hay crop stand until July 1. Sam Grant of Silcott Springs Farm in Middleburg and Round Hill is one of 46 who have participated so far. 

The result? An increase in “bird listeners and watchers visiting the property to identify species,” Grant says. 

VBGI’s work doesn’t stop there. The organization is advocating for a paddock track system that promotes equine health while simultaneously providing rest and recovery for interior pastures (to be demonstrated at the Middleburg Agricultural Research and Extension Center on April 17) as well as enhanced farming techniques, such as raising the height of hay mowers during the nesting season and developing a modern “flushing bar” that helps farm machinery avoid hitting wildlife in the fields. 

Proctor says VBGI also advises landowners who live in more developed areas on how to manage their smaller “grasslands.” 

“We are not against suburban lawns. What we want people who have them to think about is, what would happen if you had a small area of your lawn — say, 10% of it — that you can devote to native plants and wildflowers?” he suggested. “If adopted across the board nationally, this would result in close to 4 million acres of restored habitats, and it would immediately lower the cost, in terms of fertilizer, seed, pesticides, and labor, of having the lawn.” To accomplish this, VBGI offers free events, workshops, demonstrations, and tours year-round.  

“Our initiative is already five years old,” Proctor says, “yet the momentum continues to grow.” ML

Featured photo by Brooke McDonough.

Published in the April 2025 issue of Middleburg Life.