Hayfields & Pastures

Sunnyside has approximately 12 acres of pastureland dominated primarily by  orchard and fescue grass. Surprisingly, we’ve found that certain declining species in our region — American kestrels and Eastern meadowlarks in particular — can thrive in these low diversity areas if traditional management strategies are altered.

Conservations Practices: Standard agricultural practice for hayfields involves a first cut in late  May or early June. That hits meadowlarks and other ground-nesting birds right in the middle of  nesting season. Birds not immediately killed by the haying itself are left vulnerable to predators. We delay our hay harvest until July after birds have fledged. We also utilize pastures to graze our horses, donkeys and goats, reserving certain areas through the nesting season while also keeping grazed areas from becoming denuded and subject to erosion. We collaborate with the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) to study how grassland management practices affect meadowlarks and other ground-nesting birds. SCBI has tagged several meadowlarks at Sunnyside over the past several years. One, fitted with a GPS transmitter, returned to the farm last spring after migrating hundreds of miles to the Virginia/North Carolina border. American kestrels are North America’s smallest falcon. We partner with SCBI and the Clifton Institute to assess habitat and prey preference in local kestrel populations. This includes attaching GPS transmitters to nesting pairs, banding juvenile and adult birds, providing nest boxes in various habitat types and installing cameras in those boxes. Data shows that hayfields and pastures are favored by kestrels for both nesting and hunting, especially at certain times of the year.

Indicator Species: Eastern meadowlark, American kestrel, barn swallow, Eastern bluebird

Goods and Services: Sunnyside partners with a local farmer who makes hay on our  pastures. We take some of that hay for use as mulch and compost. He takes the rest as feed for his cattle. The remaining pastures serve as forage areas for our horses, donkeys, and goats, which provide ecosystem management services, recreation opportunities and compost material.

Explore Other Ecosystem Features

Orchards
Production Fields & High Tunnels
Hayfields & Pastures
Relic & Existing Farm Infrastructure
Native Meadows & Savannas
Ponds
Stream Corridors & Hedgerows
Forest
Manicured Areas