Posts tagged with quail decline initiative. View all posts
This month, the Reversing the Quail Decline Initiative draws to a close. We wrap things up by celebrating Mr. Kirby Quail's 6th birthday, highlighting some new resources and a license plate you'll want to take a look at, and putting the spotlight on two more quail organizations you may want to follow. Thank you for sticking with us, and for your passion for Texas quail!
“Habitat” is a term commonly used in wildlife management which refers to four essential components: food, water, shelter, and space. While this is a simple definition, it can be surprisingly difficult to describe quality bobwhite quail habitat, especially since there’s no exact formula for it.
Their stealth, acute hearing, and well-developed sense of smell combined with razor-sharp teeth and claws make bobcats excellent predators and this fact leads to the inevitable question for quail enthusiasts - how frequently do they predate quail?
The much anticipated 2019 Statewide Quail Symposium kicked off with the August 14th field day located at the MT7 Ranch in Breckenridge, TX. More than 140 attendees joined a caravan of white pickup trucks to learn from habitat management experts at the MT7, including several members of the ranch’s management team, Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute (NRI) professionals, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) representatives, and others...
Read about this year’s successful EarthX Dallas conference, held from April 26-28, with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and NRI’s Reversing the Quail Decline Initiative booth.
How a direct interaction with an animal ambassador can support early adoption in young adults and children to adopt long-lasting conservation-based behaviors.
Private landowners and experts alike gathered March 21 to participate in the 2019 Urban Quail Appreciation Day at Long Acres Ranch.
The end of 2017 had quail enthusiasts across the state of Texas holding their breath. Years 2015 and 2016 had been remarkable for quail with record numbers of birds heard, seen and hunted, and the highest values yet recorded in the Texas Quail Index monitoring program. While 2017 wasn’t a bust by any means, we saw a leveling off of the meteoric rise in quail numbers in many parts of the state. High carryover from the preceding years ensured that there were still plenty of birds around at the start of hunting season, but it felt like our rollercoaster was nearing its apex and preparing to plummet down the other side.
Coyotes are widely assumed to be a major threat to quail populations, but are such accusations warranted? It is hard to deny that these canine predators will eat an adult quail or snack on a clutch of eggs if the opportunity presents itself, but they may not be the malevolent quail-eaters that many believe them to be.
The Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch is a 4,720-acre ranch in Fisher County, Texas that lies about 10 miles west of Roby off of US Highway 180. Speeding past on the highway the encyclopedia of knowledge that’s been garnered from the gently rolling hills is not obvious. Ultimately, the ranch’s aim is providing land managers and other stakeholders, with timely, relevant technology and management schemes for enhancing quail populations in the Rolling Plains of Texas. In doing so, the ranch hopes to sustain the “quail dynasty” that has supported hunters, ranchers, local economies, hunters and the quail themselves.
Winters in the Lone Star State can be harsh, especially for a 6 inch tall, ground-dwelling bird. Quail faced increased pressure from predators, food scarcity, and frigid temperatures in the winter, but they also have a unique set of behaviors and adaptations for dealing with those challenges. Learn more in this article.
This year’s Texas Quail Index (TQI) featured 26 cooperators representing 7 of the 10 Texas ecoregions. TQI participants are asked to conduct a series of demonstrations which include listening for whistling roosters in the spring, setting out “dummy” (i.e., simulated) nests and game cameras to evaluate predator activity, examining quail habitat, and counting birds along roads. Read more to see the statewide results summarized.
A Texas Land Trends Story Map: Texas is home to four species of quails: Northern Bobwhite, Scaled Quail, Gambel’s Quail, and Montezuma Quail. Many Texans fondly recall experiences with quail, whether they were hunting or watching them, or just listening to their songs. Despite the interest in these quail species, their overall abundance, especially northern bobwhites, have declined over the past few decades. Recent research efforts seek to determine what factors have and continue to contribute to the decline of quail in Texas.
There is no doubt that quail are capable fliers when under pressure and strong, swift runners, but we rarely contemplate just how much distance they cover in a lifetime. When it comes to management of northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus), it is critical to consider the amount of space they need to maintain sustainable coveys (groups) and healthy populations. When answering the question of how much space a quail needs, you must consider covey sizes, how much terrain quail can cross, and both the amount and quality of habitat that is present in an area that quail occupy.
Many wildlife species have complex behaviors and utilize their habitat in ways we still do not fully understand. While the mysteries of the wild intrigue most any outdoors lover, they do pose challenges when it comes to the management of sensitive or declining species.
Montezuma quail, fool's quail, harlequin quail—these are a few of the names given to the most elusive quail species in Texas. Its habitat, behaviors and even appearance are all quite different from our other resident quail species, as explained in this article.
The Statewide Quail Symposium, held Aug. 16-18 in Abilene, Texas, was part of an education and research effort to convey activities of the Reversing the Decline of Quail in Texas initiative. This gathering brought together experts in the fields of quail management, research and conservation from all over the state.
The Statewide Quail Symposium is set for Aug. 16-18 in Abilene, and registration is now open. The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service symposium will be held at the MCM Elegante Hotel, 4250 Ridgemont Drive.
