by Edge Wade

International Pollinator Week (June 17-23) was kicked off by 13 CAS members on a three-hour field trip to the University of Missouri’s  A.L. Gustin Golf Course at the invitation of course superintendent Isaac Breuer. Participants boarded two-person golf carts and paraded through the course with stops to step out and learn about the development and maintenance of the native plant habitat plots, and to watch and listen for the birds attracted to them.

Mr. Breuer has been developing bird friendly habitat on the 125-acre course since he began working at A.L. Gustin in May of 1996 with head golf professional Jim Knoesel.   Mr. Knoesel put up bluebird houses and started the paperwork to become the first university owned golf course in the U.S. to become certified in the Audubon International Cooperative Sanctuary program in 1997.

To date, more than 3,700 Eastern Bluebirds have fledged from 26 bluebird houses. We counted 27 Purple Martins on our field trip. Mr. Breuer is rightfully proud of the martin’s successful fledging. Some extra management has been required because resident Red-tailed Hawks have learned to snatch nestlings from the houses, and they bring  in young hawks to observe and learn the technique. Nestlings are still lost to the savvy hawks, but the number has been reduced by switching to gourds and then modifying the gourds to make grabbing the young martins more difficult.

Since becoming superintendent in 1998, Mr. Breuer, with the help of Eric Acton and Zack Giffon, has increased the commitment to establishing and caring for bird and pollinator-attractive habitat.  In addition to the bluebird and martin houses, there are now 10-15 acres in planted plots, mostly seeded with a mix of 20 to 25 species called  “Monarch Blend” contributed by MDC, Quail Forever, and other partners. The pond, surrounded by plantings of natural vegetation rather than grass, supports several Red-winged Blackbird nests and attracts occasional egret and heron visitors. Areas on the perimeter of the course bordering Flat Branch Creek and the MKT Trail have been left natural and, with the several mature oaks dotting the course, provide year-round habitat and are attractive to passerine migrants.

Golfers at first complained about the scruffy look around the pond and the native plant areas which take about three years to reach maturity, but complaints were no longer heard when the intent was explained (and the emergence of showy wildflowers  was a clincher in gaining approval).

The native plant seeded areas require annual brush hogging and controlled burns about every three years when winds permit. Because this maintenance regimen is less expensive than maintenance of the manicured portions of the course, Mr. Breuer calculates that the native plant areas now save course management operations about $500 per acre per year.  These significant cost savings free up funds for other services in the course operations budget.

Under Mr. Breuer’s leadership a variety of research projects, learning sessions and tours  centered on the pollinator habitat are offered at A.L. Gustin. The CAS birders were unanimous that the field trip was a top notch experience. We had a great time and learned a lot—oh, and we saw birds. We tallied 37 species. Among them were Eastern Kingbird, Yellow-throated Vireo, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Carolina Wren, Northern Mockingbird, Brown Thrasher, Chipping Sparrow, Northern Parula, Summer Tanager, Indigo Bunting, and two Blue Grosbeaks. The adult male Blue Grosbeak was particularly striking as it landed near us in the midst of a pollinator plot ablaze in wildflowers complimenting his dark blue body and russet wing bars.

If you missed this opportunity, you have a second chance to get acquainted with A.L Gustin Golf Course and see for yourself its valurable contribution to Columbia’s managed pollinator habitat sites. Mr. Breuer has invited CAS to return for a field trip during fall migration on September 16. Maybe we’ll be able to add a new species to the bird list that now stands at 110. Check the event listing for the registration process details.