A sad, but all-too-familiar story, in three observations:
1st: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/363402262
i guess this is why the No Mow May movement exists.
Oh, no! :( :( :(
I have a ground dove story from a few days ago that maybe might counter this a bit (or not, who knows) but I will not share it unless you think it might help. (Spoiler: the baby bird gets a happy ending.)
So sad!
Can you take that evidence to a local newspaper ? Perhaps next year - they could delay the mowing, or leave a kind section for wildlife.
For decades, the landowners have contracted with a farmer to have the grass mowed on a set schedule. The purpose is to keep the trees and brambles from taking hold, to keep the lot as grass. It pains me to see the damage to the natural environment done for farming, especially given that farming is in my heritage.
To be clear, life goes on. Barn swallows race over the fresh-cut grass, snatching insects from the air. A baby cottontail hops to the fringe of the grass, munching on the leaves. Mockingbirds, robins, red-winged blackbirds, and others flit around, picking up insects to feed their young. Even these two song sparrows will try again, building a nest for the next set of young.
They are the wild neighbors in the Naturehood.
I think everyone who mows lawns is afraid they’ll run over a baby animal someday. Or afraid they already have.
This thread https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/how-beneficial-really-is-no-mow-may/
contains more information about No Mow May:
- Its origins in the UK
- Examples from around the world
- Debates about its effectiveness
- Etc.
lawns are such a scourge
Not afraid enough.