Using new field data collected by a host of Vermont birders who participated in VCE’s 2021 Eastern Meadowlark Blitz, the Endangered Species Committee is considering listing this declining species as state-Threatened. This past spring and summer, more than 800 meadowlark records were amassed from almost 40,000 eBird checklists; for comparison, over 17,000 checklists contained Black-capped Chickadees. While that’s a very small number of meadowlark reports relative to all checklists, it nearly tripled 2020’s number of meadowlark eBird reports. For this increasingly rare bird, and many other species experiencing declines, every sighting can provide vital data that may benefit conservation efforts.
You can read more about Eastern Meadowlark conservation in Vermont on the VCE website.
If you want to learn more about meadowlarks and other species currently recommended for Threatened or Endangered species designation in Vermont, check out this article from VTDigger.
Through Vermont Atlas of Life projects such as Vermont eBird and VAL on iNaturalist, there are opportunities to contribute data on your own schedule for the species that interest you most. Stay tuned for future updates on the status of Eastern Meadowlarks in Vermont and how you can contribute to the conservation of grassland birds!
