Study says helping habitat can benefit birds and farms
is understand how to take advantage of the benefits while reducing the harms. Growerswill tell you it’s impossible tokeep birds off your farm—you can’t do that and don’twant tofromaconservationperspec- tive. So how can we take advantage of the services birds provide?” The study is one of several publications fromUCDavis ProfessorDaniel Karp’s lab highlighting the environmental, agricul- tural andfoodsafety impactsof conserving bird habitat around farms. Arelated study in2020 found that farms with natural habitat attracted more in-
sect-eating birds—and fewer strawber- ry-eating birds—so that farmers expe- rience less berry damage on farms with more habitat nearby. Such habitats also bring greater numbers of bird species to the landscape. “All together, these studies suggest that farming landscapes with natural habitat tend to be good for conservation, farmers and public health,” Karp said. (This article was originally published by theUniversityofCaliforniaAgricultureand Natural Resources.)
Asupportiveenvironment canbringout the best in an individual—even for a bird. After an E.coli outbreak in 2006 devas- tated the spinach industry, farmers were pressured to remove natural habitat to keep wildlife—and the foodborne patho- gens they can sometimes carry—from visiting crops. A study by the University of California, Davis, shows that farms with surrounding natural habitat experience themostbenefits frombirds, including less crop damage and lower food-safety risks. The study, published last month in the Journal ofAppliedEcology,wasconducted at 21 strawberry fields along California’s Central Coast. It found that birds were more likely tocarrypathogensandeat ber- ries without surrounding natural habitat. Theauthors saidabetterunderstanding of the interplay of farming practices, the landscape and the roles birds play in eco- systems can help growers make the most out of wild birds near their fields. “Birdcommunities respond to changes in the landscape,” said lead author Elissa Olimpi, a postdoctoral scholar in the UC Davis Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology at the time of the study. “As birds shift in response toman- agement, so do the costs and benefits they provide.” The study lookedat howdifferent farm- ing practices influenced the costs and benefits that wild birds provided on the strawberry farms. The scientists combined nearly 300 bird surveys and the molecular analyses of more than 1,000 fecal samples from55 bird species to determine which birds ate pests, beneficial insects and crops, and carried foodborne pathogens. They also ranked birds to see which weremore likely to bring benefits or costs to farmlands. Barn swallows, for instance, got a “gold star” in the study, Olimpi said. Theirmudnestsarecommonlyseencling- ing to the underside of barn eaves, from which they fly out to swoop over fields, foraging on insects. But rather than resulting in a list of “good” and “bad” birds, the study found Workshop set on grapes, drought Grape growers and other wine indus- try members interested in grape produc- tion and water management in vineyards are invited to a University of California Cooperative Extension workshop on grapevine drought preparedness. The workshop will be held in person April 1, inHopland. Sessionswill coverwa- ter management for red and white grape composition, nutrient conditions during drought, heatwavedamageandusing sat- ellite data to improve irrigation. Registration is $50 and includes a full day of live instruction from UCCE viti- culture and grapevine experts. Lunch will be provided. Formoreinformationandtoregister, vis- it https://ucanr.edu/sites/ShortCourse17.
that most bird species brought both costs and benefits to farms, depending on how the landscapewasmanaged. The presence of natural habitat was the singlemost important driver differentiat- ing a farmwhere wild birds brought more benefits than harm. “Nature is messy, and birds are com- plex,” Olimpi said. “The best we can do
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March 9, 2022 Ag Alert 13
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