Gregg Iverson wrote:
>
> Are there any flocks of Bobolinks? I remember as a kid being told how
> the birds migrated south in the winter and did serious damage to rice
> fields. BTW, haven't seen one in years.
>
> Gregg
>
Bobolinks stop over in Louisiana very briefly during migration and are
not around here when the rice is vulnerable. They breed in the northern
parts of the US and into Canada. They will do damage in South America
to some crops where they spend our winter. In some parts of SA they
will spray flocks with pesticides that are toxic to birds much like the
Quelia are sprayed in Africa.
I usually see one or two flocks, occasionally of several hundred
individuals, every spring, then they are gone. The birds found in our
ricefields are there mostly for the frogs, crawfish, and insects. A
few, such as Savanah Sparrrows and Redwinged Blackbirds, will eat some
rice but that is not usually a real problem for the farmer
Jerry Liles
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