Birds flocking to old mine sites

Tens of thousands of acres in southeast Ohio once cleared of trees, strip-mined for coal and later reclaimed as grasslands are providing a habitat for birds whose numbers are declining elsewhere in the state.

And these thriving bird populations are starting to draw serious birders to the reclaimed sites -- which could provide an economic boost to struggling areas of Appalachia.

Even biologists have been surprised by how well species like the Savannah, grasshopper and Henslow's sparrows; northern harrier; bobolink; eastern meadowlark; short-eared owl; and blue grosbeak are doing at these sites. In the winter, the rolling strip-lands attract hawks, owls and even golden eagles in search of food.

"Frankly, it was not something anyone anticipated at all,'' said Jim McCormac, a birder and wildlife biologist with the Ohio Division of Wildlife.

It has only been in the last 10 years, he said, that scientists have become aware of the benefits of the grasslands for a variety of bird species, many of which winter in South and Central America.

Ohio coal companies simply wanted to recontour the land and plant some vegetation once mining was finished at a site, McCormac said. No one gave much thought to attracting birds.

But the birds came and their impact is becoming ``profound... and very, very significant,'' he said.

Ohio has more than 1.9 million birders. According to federal estimates, they spend $2.3 billion a year feeding birds, buying viewing equipment and traveling to see birds.

The potential economic impact of eco-tourists coming to the grasslands, McCormac said, ``is just now starting to be validated.''

Five key grassland sites

The state's reclaimed grasslands cover an estimated 250,000 acres -- an area 7 ½ times the size of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Some of Ohio's largest reclaimed grasslands have become state wildlife areas. These are:

• Tri-Valley Wildlife Area in Muskingum County.

• Woodbury in Coshocton County.

• Egypt Valley in Belmont and Guernsey counties.

• Crown City in Gallia and Lawrence counties.

These four preserves together cover more than 60,000 acres, most of which have been reclaimed after coal mining.

Reclaimed grasslands also cover nearly 10,000 acres at The Wilds, a private wildlife breeding center run by Ohio zoos in Muskingum County. That's where Dr. Danny Ingold, a biology professor at Muskingum College, has been studying grassland birds since 1997.

His team nets, bands and then releases the birds. He often plays a bird song on tape to attract a particular species (like the Henslow's sparrow) to his fine-meshed nets.

Ingold said national surveys of Ohio's breeding birds show a decline in recent years of the four main grassland species -- the bobolink and three sparrow species: the Savannah, grasshopper and Henslow's.

But those same species are ``holding their own and probably increasing'' on the reclaimed striplands in southeast Ohio, he said.

Species like open space

Ingold isn't surprised by what's happening in the reclaimed areas.

``We've got acres and acres and acres of open space here in southeast Ohio,'' he said. ``And the birds are proving they're very adaptable.''

Initially, Ohio was largely forested land, with about 1,200 square miles of prairies. Today, 99 percent of the prairies have been destroyed for farms and development.

In 1972, Ohio started requiring coal companies to reclaim stripped land. But the soils were thin and acidic, and getting native plants to grow was difficult. Non-native grasses and shrubs like autumn-olive, tall fescue, smooth brome, Chinese lespedeza and multi-flora rose did much better. That's when Ohio grasslands started to grow.

And since Ohio is still a major coal producer -- 13 million tonsa year, half of which comes from surface mining -- that growth is expected to continue.

Quail reintroduced

McCormac, who wrote Birds of Ohio (Lone Pine, $19.95), said the new grasslands are providing a summer breeding home for about 50 species of birds.

The best time to visit Ohio grasslands, he said, is mid-May through June, when the birds are at their colorful mating best.

Hawks and other raptors can be spotted in big numbers from December through February, when they are looking for meadow voles, tiny cousins of mice that look like ``little furry sausages,'' McCormac said.

A new resident of the Tri-Valley and Woodbury wildlife areas is the northern bobwhite, or quail.

In the last two years, the Ohio Division of Wildlife has reintroduced 361 quail from Kansas at four sites.

The quail are doing well at Tri-Valley and Woodbury but not at Killbuck Marsh in Wayne and Holmes counties and at Big Island in Marion County, said Steven A. Gray, director of the Ohio Division of Wildlife.

Quail were abundant across the state in the late 1800s and early 1900s. But changes in agriculture, development and bitter winters in 1976-77 and 1977-1978 nearly wiped them out.

The small, elusive and well-camouflaged bird thrives in a mixture of pastures, farm fields and brushy cover.

Favorite has worst song

McCormac's favorite grassland bird is the Henslow's sparrow. It is not endangered or threatened, but it is a species of ``special interest'' in Ohio because of its declining numbers.

The Tri-Valley area has in excess of 200 pairs of Henslow's sparrows. That number may sound small when spread out over 15,200 acres, McCormac said, but it is significant.

The bird has a big flat head and short tail. There's a subtle olive tone to its head feathers and surprising color.

It also is known for its short, unmusical song -- only two-thirds of a second in length.

"It is absolutely one of the worst songs in the bird world,'' McCormac said.