Author Institution: Biology Department, Muskingum CollegeDuring the 1997-1998 breeding seasons the author examined the nesting success of grassland birds on plots that were mowed prior to the onset of nesting and on unmowed plots on a 3,700 ha reclaimed stripmine in east-central Ohio. Grasshopper sparrows (Ammodramus savannarum), eastern meadowlarks (Sturnella magnci), red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius pboeniceus^), Henslow's sparrows (A. henslowiO, and bobolinks (Dolichonyx oryzivorus^ were the most abundant nesting species on the reclaimed stripmine. No short-eared owl (Asio JTammeus}, Henslow's sparrow, bobolink, or mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) nests were located on the mowed plots. Significantly more nests of all species combined (P 0.05). These data suggest that early season mowing is detrimental to some grassland bird species on this reclaimed stripmine since it precludes early nesting; however, it appears that Henslow's, savannah, and grasshopper sparrows, and other uncommon or sporadic grassland breeders in Ohio, are benefiting from this expansive, reclaimed surface mine
