HOLDEN, Maine (AP) — Bird lovers in Maine say they are upset with a farm that mowed large open fields where a declining species of bird is known to nest.
The Bangor Daily News reports the mowing took place in mid-late June at the Hart Farm in Holden. The area is known as a nesting area for bobolinks.
The historic dairy farm was purchased last year by the Holden Land Trust. Birders had asked officials with the land trust if mowing could be delayed so chicks would have a better chance of surviving.
Land trust board member Betty Jamison says the farmer leasing the landed couldn’t wait. She says balancing the farming activities with protecting the bobolinks is “a hard balance.”
The rate of decline of bobolinks in the state is believed to be increasing.
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