Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
uail,thatsthenameofthegamearoundhere!Welcome,folks,tooursixthedi onofTheBob-
white Bulle n, your annual update on the status of Virginias Quail Recovery Ini a ve (QRI), a coopera ve
eorttorestoreearlysuccessionalhabitatandtheNorthernBobwhitepopula onintheCommonwealthof
Virginia.Ourexci ngworkisongoingandthisnewsle erwillhighlightselectedthoughts,ideasandprojects
fromourfivePrivateLandsWildlifeBiologists(PLWBs)andTeamLeaders.Amazingly,forthefirst meinfor
ever,wehaventhadanyturnoverinstaandyoullbehappytoseesometeamcon nuity.ThisyearThe
Bulle nalsohighlightstheworkofoneofourbestpartners,VirginiaWorkingLandscapesattheSmithsonian
Conserva onBiologyIns tute.
Theteams2015couldbecalledtheyearofoutreach.Youmayhaveno cedournewquaillogoonthecover
ofTheBobwhiteBulle nthisyear.Thelogoispartofournewmarke ngeortstoraisetheprofileoftheQRI
inVirginia.WeenvisionthelogotobewhattheNikeswooshhasbeenortheBrowningbuckor,well,youget
thepoint.WithinthenextsixmonthsyoushouldbegintoseenewquailproductssoldfromtheDepartment
ofGameandInlandFisherieseStoreandhopefullyyourlocalPLWBwillbespor ngsomeofthenewprod
ucts.Inaddi ontothelogo,ourstatequailwebsitehasbeenrevampedandourFacebookpagecon nuesto
impress.Momentumisthekey.Virginia,intermsofquailpoten al,wearentTexas,wearentFlorida.None
theless,weareblessedtobeinabeau fulCommonwealthwithmuchpoten alforquailhabitatandpopu
la on rebound. From the Chesapeake Bay to the Appalachians, we are seeing quail respond to habitat
eorts.However,onabroaderscale,wearecomingtoalsoappreciatethevalueofourworktosomanyoth
erspeciesfromtheMonarchBu erflytodecliningbumblebeesandsongbirds.
Wontyoujoinoureortstoday?Welookforwardtohearingfromyou!
ANSWERINGTHECALL:THEQUAILRECOVERYINITIATIVE
FinancialAssistanceisAvailable JointheQuailRecoveryTeamToday
Culpeper
Headwaters
Three
Rivers
Big
Walker
Halifax
Chowan
Basin
Jay Howell:TeamLeaderDGIFRichmondOce
Oneofthegreatestchallengeswefacewiththequailrecoveryisfinding
a way to get people to care about the problem. Since youre reading
this,youprobablyalreadyhaveyourownreasonsforbeinginterestedin
whatsgoingonwithbobwhites,butyouraverageCommonwealthci
zenprobablydoesntspareaminutetoworryaboutthesteadydecline
ofali lebrownbird.Iwasina training classwherewewerelearning
howtoconnectwiththepublic.Theinstructorsaidthatpeoplerespond
tostoriesfarmorethanfactsandfigures.So,forthisar cle,Ithought
IdshareastoryaboutwhyIcareaboutli lebrownbirdssothatmaybe
someoneelsewilltoo.
ItwasmysecondyearofcollegeandIwasinPrinciplesofEcologyclass.
Likemanypeopleinuniversity,Iwasnten relysurewhatIwantedto
pursueformyacademics,butIalwayslikedbiology.Wewerestudying
mycorrhizae,thesymbio cfungusthatlivesinarela onshipwithplants
and theirroots.Thefungusprovidesimprovedwaterandnutrientuptakefromthesoiland theplantpro
videscarbohydratestothefungus.ThatdayinclassIhadaglimpse.Howimprobablethatbeneaththesur
faceofthemigh estforestthecri calrela onshipbetweentwovastlydierentformsoflifeiswhatmakes
thewholethingpossible.Thisonerela onshipleadstoamillionotherconnec onsthatbuildandrelyupon
eachother.IfeltlikeIcouldseeavastnetconnec ngyou,me,andeverylivingthing.Ivebeenstudyingthat
neteversincetryingtolearneverythingIcanaboutthose nyfibrouslinesthatIsawthatday.
Peopletodayfeeldisconnectedfromtheworld.Technologyandthefastpaceofmodernlifemakesnature
seemfaraway.WhatIknowisthatnothingcouldbefurtherfromthetruth.Everyoneandeverythingiscon
nected,some mesinstartlinganddrama cwaysbutmoreo enquietlybeneaththesurface.Notonlyare
weconnected,wearedependent.Takeapieceawayandwemaynotfeelitrightaway,butweareallmade
lessbyitsabsence.ThatswhyIcareaboutali lebrownbirdthatlivesintheweeds.Togiveyouanother
metaphor,thinkoftheworldasavastorchestrawitheachlivingthinganinstrumentdoingitsparttoform
thegreaterharmony.Takeawayaviolinandyoumaynotbeabletohearitbuttheharmonyisjustali lebit
weaker. Lose enough pieces
and harmony becomes ca
cophony.
Bobwhites are one piece in a
rich tapestry that makes up
the natural world. Their de
cline is indica ve of changes
thatareoccurringnotjustfor
onespeciesbutawholehost
of species that act in concert
witheachother.Togetherwe
must ensure that those con
nec ons arent lost, because
once they are gone they
couldbegoneforever.
FieldSparrowNestAmyJohnson
1.Increased rela ve abundance of na ve grasses helps breeding grassland and shrubland birds.Wefound
aposi verela onshipbetweenthepropor onofna vegrassesandthediversityofbirdspeciesthatarede
pendentongrassandshrublandsinfieldsduringthebreedingseason.Na vegrassesprovideexcellentcover
and structure for nes ng birds and fledglings. Some common na ve grass species we observe include big
bluestem,Easterngammagrass,Indiangrassandswitchgrass.
2.In na ve grasslands, including forbs and legumes increases the diversity of grassland birds.Inthesame
studywefoundthatgrassandshrublandbirddiversityincreasedwithna veforbplantrichness.Forbscan
be an excellent source of protein for nestlings as they host many species of insect larvae at the peak of
nes ngseason.Importantforbsforbirdsincludeasters,beggarweed,falseindigoandgoldenrod.
3.Migra ng birds u lize na ve grass meadows to prepare for migra on. Althoughourteamhasnotbeen
surveying na ve grass
meadows during migra
on, weve had several
instances where weve
observed large flocks of
grassland species, such as
bobolinks, u lizing these
meadows
as
post
breeding stopovers to
molt and feed in prepara
onformigra on.Werec
ommend delaying bush
hogging to op mize the
resources available to
birds during August and
September. This also
leaves plenty of cover for
the winter months, a vul
nerable meforquail.
FemaleCommonYellowthroat,aMigratorySongbirdAmyJohnson
SavannahSparrowAmyJohnson
David Bryan:PLWBNortheastVAFieldOce
Overtheyears,Ihavebeenblessedtoworkwithmanyengaged,enthusias c
landowners,butfewcomparetoBillandAnnTidballofMadisonCountysAsh
land Farm. The Tidballs have long been involved with land conserva on, as
theyplacedtheirlandineasementandfencedotheirstreamsthroughthe
Conserva onReserveEnhancementProgram,aneortwhichresultedintheir
winningthe2009BayFriendlyCleanFarmAward.Despiteallthis,Billwanted
moreandhisnextpursuitwaswildlifespecificallytheelusiveNorthernBob
whitequail.
Mee ngBillforthefirst meinearly2013,Iwasimpressedwithhisjoyfulde
meanorandgenuineinterestinwildlife.WorkingwithmyselfandJackKau
manoftheVirginiaDepartmentofForestry(VDOF),wewereabletodevelopa
habitatplanforthefarmthatwouldhelpBillmeethisgoals.Asafirststep,Bill
enrolled in the State Forestry Quail program, funded by the Virginia Depart
mentofGameandInlandFisheriesandadministeredbyVDOF.Throughthisprogram,hewasoeredcost
sharingassistancetoplantover40acresofshortleafpines.Shortleafisana ve,slowergrowingpine that
allowsforunderstorygrowthofquailhabitatbeforethepinesreachcanopyclosure.
Elsewhere,Billdecidedtodevelopwildflowermeadowsforthequailandotherspecieswithhelpfromthe
QuailBestManagementPrac cesProgram.Na vewarmseasongrassessuchasLi leBluestemwereplanted
inaneorttoprovidenes ngopportuni esforquailandsongbirds,andwildflowerssuchasBlackeyedSu
san,PlainsandLanceleafCoreopsis,andPartridgePeawerealsoplantedtoprovidebroodingareas,a ract
insectstheprimaryfoodforchicksandproduceseedforadults.Addi onally,Billhasworkedonmanaging
invasivespeciesthroughouthispropertyincludingjohnsongrassandailanthus,ortreeofheaven.
Priortostar ngtheirwildlifework,BillandAnnhadnotheardtheBobwhitecallintwoyears.Thathascer
tainlychanged.NowwildBobwhitesarecallingontheproperty,almosteverydayinthespring.Chickshave
beenseenaroundtheirhome.Billhasalsocommentedontheamountofsongbirdstheyseethenumber
and variety have both increased.
Theynolongerfilltheirbirdfeeders
as the birds take advantage of the
habitat around them. More recent
ly,throughtheeortsoftheVirgin
ia Working Landscapes team
(featured elsewhere in the Bulle n
on page X), the Tidballs were excit
ed to learn that their site has
a racted Bombus pensylvanicus,
the once common but now imper
iled American Bumblebee. The
Monarch Bu erfly has also been
seentakingadvantage!
Perhaps best of all, the Tidballs
were not content to sit and keep
thewildlifetothemselves.Eagerfor
others to get involved, the Tidballs
volunteeredtobeastoponourfall
QuailandPollinatorFieldDay...
BillTidball
Charlo eLorick
Je Jones:TeamLeaderNRCSRichmondOce
TheNaturalResourcesConserva onServicescon nuesitscommit
ment to the Quail Recovery Ini a ve and associated habitat im
provements throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. Despite a
decreased budget and everincreasing conserva on challenges on
theground,ourteamofPrivateLandsBiologistscon nuestotake
the lead on habitat crea on and management eorts throughout
Virginia.
This coming fiscal year, payment incen ves for habitat work will
once again be available through the Environmental Quality Incen
ves Program (EQIP) to eligible landowners and producers. Key
prac ces such as Conserva on Cover for conver ng fescue to na
ves,BrushManagementforinvasivespecieswork,andPrescribed
Burning, to name a few, will all s ll be available. Addi onally, we
haveanewprac ceWildlifeStructuresforlandownersinterest
edinbrushpiles,rockpilesormodifyingexis ngfencinginawild
lifefriendlymanner.Ourfirstapplica ondeadlineofthenewfiscal
yearisinmidFebruary,sonowisthe metoplan.Ifanyofthese
op onspeakyourinterest,pleasecallyourPrivateLandsBiologisttoday.
Bob Glennon:PLWBSoutheastVAFieldOce
TheUplandBirdHabitatBuerprac ce,alsoknownasCP33,ispart
of the Conserva on Reserve Program administered by the USDAs
FarmServiceAgency.Itisoneofthecon nuousprac cesthatare
approvedwithoutcompe ngwithotherapplica onsifthelandand
thelandownerareeligiblefortheprac ce.
The best CP33 results have been achieved with a seed mixture of
thena veli lebluestemandthena vewildflowerspartridgepea,
blackeyed susan, lanceleaf coreopsis, plains coreopsis, and Maxi
miliansunflower.Thatmixturecontainsnotallna veprairiegrass
esandnononna vespeciesthattendtodominatethewildflowers.
Theseedingratesofeachspeciesvarybasedonthenumberofseedsperpoundandthedesireddensityof
seedspersquarefoot.Balancingthenumbersofseedspersquarefootpreventsanysinglewildflowerspe
ciesfromdomina ngthestand.
Theminimumwidthsof
the buers are 30 feet
and the maximum
width is 120 feet. The
Grass
wider the buer is and
Li leBluestem
Schizachyriumscoparium
3pounds
15
the longer the buer is
Forbs (Wildflowers)
the be er the chances
are that bobwhite quail
BlackeyedSusan
Rudbeckiahirta
2ounces
3
will survive, thrive, and
PlainsCoreopsis
Coreopsis nctoria
1ounce
3
escape predators. Op
mum quail habitat con
LanceleafCoreopsis
Coreopsislanceolata
10ounces
3
tainsna vegrassesand
PartridgePea
Chamaecristafasciculata
2pounds
3
wildflowers
(nes ng
MaximilianSunflower Helianthusmaximilianii
11ounces
3
habitat), annual plants
that have spaces be
Total
6pounds,8ounces
30
tween the plants for
quailchickstohuntforinsects(broodhabitat),andlowwoodycover(headquartershabitat).Areasofna ve
grasses and wildflowers with shrubby
hedgerowsanddiskedfirebreakswithin150
feetofeachotherareideal.
Common Name
Seeds per
Square
Foot
Lorien Huemoeller:PLWBSouthcentralVAFieldOce
Weldon Anderson will be the first to tell you that he was born in the
wrong genera on. It doesnt take long to see that his property, Slick
RockFarminHalifaxCounty,supportsthisclaim.Ineverhavetogofar
to find restored an que cars and carriages, tobacco barns rebuilt by
hand, stack poles used for hay, piles of Na ve American ar facts, and
CivilWarmemorabilia.Every meIthinkIveseenitall,theresalways
somethingnewwai ng.ThebestpartofSlickRockFarmisthattherich
cultural history on the property is not where the story ends; Weldons
desiretokeepthepastaliveisalsoseenintheearlysuccessionalhabitat
forquailthathecreatedyearsagoandcon nuestomaintaintoday.
Historically,thefieldsonthepropertywereusedfortobaccoandhay.In
2011,Weldonenrolledsomeofthefieldsintothe VirginiaDepartment
ofGame&InlandFisheriesBestManagementPrac ces(BMP)Program.
Althoughthisprogramhascomeandgone,Weldonsoldcropfieldsre
maininprimequailhabitat.Thefieldsarehometo35quailcoveysyear
round.Everyyearhedisks1/3ofthefieldsinstripsandcontrolsfescue
andsericealespedezaasneeded.Asyoucanseeinthephotos,sumac,
blackberry,andnumerouslegumesandna vegrasseswerewai ngintheseedbank.Oncethecroplands
wereallowedtogofallow,thesebeneficialplantsfinallygottheirchancetothrive.
WeldonepitomizeswhattheStateandFederalhabitatmanagementprogramshopetoachieve.Heusedthe
BMP program to help create quail habitat.
Once that contract was completed, he re
enrolledintheprogramandgotfurtherassis
tance to help maintain the fields for quail.
Thanks to Weldons hard work; quail, rabbit,
deer,turkey,songbird,andpollinatorpopula
onsincreasedandcon nuetothrive.
Whenaskedwhathisfavoritepartofpar ci
pa ng in the BMP program was, he quickly
responded,seeingthequailcomeback.Its
an honor as a biologist to work with a land
owner whose heart is in the right place and
whos more than willing to put in the work
requiredtomaintainwonderfulquailhabitat.
Weldon holds the same enthusiasm for
brushyquailhabitatashedoesforthebarns
and carriages hes rebuilt. It is this type of
mo va on and willingness to commit to a
longtermprojectthatmakesSlickRockFarm
awonderfulsuccessstorythatImexcitedto
get the opportunity to share. Its always an
adventurege ngtostepbackin metothe
good ole days when I visit Slick Rock Farm
and Im thankful Weldon Anderson has
sharedsomuchofitshistorywithme.
LorienHuemoeller
Jus n Folks:PLWBNorthwestVAFieldOce
I earned my Masters degree from the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Re
searchIns tuteatTexasA&MUniversityKingsvillein2012(No,not
themainA&McampusinCollegeSta onandIamNOTanaggie.
TAMUKusedtobeTexasA&Iun lthe1990s,andtheirmascotisthe
javelina.Justali lehistorylessonforyouthere,butIdigress).Im
nottryingtotootmyownhornaboutit;merelyse ngthestagefor
therestofthisar cle.
My graduate work occurred near the city of Carrizo Springs, way
down in the South Texas brush country and also within the famed
GoldenTriangleofbigwhitetailbucks.SouthTexasisasemiarid
place,ge ngaround2528inchesofrainfallperyear,andtherain
fall pa ern can be and o en is sporadic. The semiarid climate
therekeepsthevegeta oninagrassforbshrubcommunity,hence
thetermbrushcountry.Whenrainfallisadequate,itisoneofthe
mostdiverseandbeau fulecosystemsontheplanet,withscoresofbobwhites,smallmammals,songbirds,
andbigdeer.However,whenitisdry,itisDRY!Thevegeta onandwildlife,however,areusedtothisboom
andbustenvironmentanditwasreallycooltoseefirsthandjusthowresilientquailcanbe.
SouthTexasstudysiteinApril2010rainyseasonJus nFolks
10
SameSouthTexasstudysiteinApril2011withoutrainthankfullyinVAwedonthavethisproblem!Jus nFolks
11
Andy Rosenberger:PLWBSouthwestVAFieldOce
How do you measure a successful project? Depending
onhowyoulookatthatques onyoumayfindthean
swertobefairlysimpleorexceedinglycomplex.WhenI
firststartedasaPrivateLandsBiologistIwasofasim
plermindset.Tomeatthat me,myul mategoalwas
to work with landowners and provide them the tools
andknowledgetogetquailontheirproperty.Iwasnot
sonavethatIdidnotunderstandthenumerousother
benefitsofhabitatworkandhowitcanhelpmanyoth
er species. Benefits to other species was part of my
trainingandahighlighttopictohelplandownersunder
stand why habitat crea on was important. Nonethe
less,quailweremynumberonefocus.
Dr.BrianMurphywasoneoftheveryfirstlandownersIworkedwith.HispropertyresidesinCraigCounty
andovertheyearshastransi onedfromlivestock,tohay,andnowwildlife.Whenwefirststartedworking
togethermygoalwastohelphimcreatethehabitatneededtogetquailonhisplace.Wecameupwitha
plantoremovethefescue,plantna vegrassesandwildflowers,createshrubthickets,andu lizefireanda
diskformanagement.
EachyearDr.Murphymadeali lemoreprogress.Sincethiswasoneofmyfirstprojects,Iwouldo enseek
permissiontobringprospec veclientstoseehisproperty.Thesefieldvisitsreallyhelpedmanylandowners
seefirsthandwhatIwastryingtoexplaintothem.Ineveryinstancewhenwearrived,therewasDr.Murphy
wai ngforus.Hewasalwaysmorethanhappytotalktothepoten alprojectlandownersandwouldleada
tourofhisproperty.Duringthesetourshisenthusiasmreallyshowedwhentalkingabouthisexperienceand
observa ons.Inaddi ontotalkingabouthowheperformedthework,hewouldalsohighlightthebenefits
hehasseenashispropertytransformed.Afewofhisobserva onshavebeen:
an increase
inrabbits;
deer walking
his
fields
during the
day;
increased
bird diversity
including
norther har
riers
and
shorteared
owls;
nes ng
woodcock;
BrianMurphy
12
na vewildflowersreleasedfromtheseedbankoncefescuecompe
anincreaseinbu erflyandpollinatorpopula ons.
onwasremoved;and
Witheveryvisitheexhibitedhiscontagiousenthusiasmandwouldbesuretopointoutthechangeshehas
seenandhowalltheseobserva onsareno ceablyabsentonhisneighborsfescuepastures.Heevenpoint
edouthowinthesummerhisfieldsatnightwouldbebrightwithfirefliesandhecouldtellwherehisproper
tylinewasduetotheirabsenceontheothersideofthepropertyfence.
His observa ons and enthusiasm have shown me that success cannot simply be measured by the mere
presenceorabsenceofquail.Successismuchlargerthanthatanditisagoodideatoli yourheadupand
lookaround,notwhen thetaskisdone,butduringtheen reprocesstoadmirethechangethathas hap
pened.Washisprojectsuccessful?
ToDr.Murphyitwasfromthefirst meheli edhisheadfromthetaskathandandmadeanobserva onof
whathadchanged.Henotonlyhaschangedhishabitatbuthashelpedmechangemyviewofsuccess.Inthe
endIamnotsureifhehashelpedmemorethanIhavehelpedhim.Igavehimthetechnicaladvice,buthe
hasbeenashowcaseproperty,aneducator,astaunchprogramsupporter,andmostimportantlyanexample
ofhowtolookatthebigpicturewhenmeasuringsuccess.
Andincaseyouwerewondering,thissummer,a erfiveyearsofhardwork,Dr.Murphyhadquailshowup
onhisproperty.Hewasjustasexcitedtoseethemashewaswithallhisotherobserva ons.
BrianMurphy
13
JohnDoty
14
15
BasalAreaofapproximately7080sq /acrenotsogreatforquail!MarcPucke
16
BasalAreaofapproximately40sq /acre,comingbackingreathabitatforquail!MarcPucke
17
Ma aponiWMABurn2015DavidBryan
18
Addi onally, Team Leader Marc Pucke has a monthly blog on the Na onal Bobwhite Conserva on Ini a
veswebsite.Weencourageyoutotakealookatthemonthlyupdates.Pleasepayavisittothewebsite:
h p://bringbackbobwhites.org/blogs/virginia.Whileyouarethere,checkoutalloftheothergreatNBCIin
forma on!
Ma aponiWMABurn2015DavidBryan
19
LorienHuemoeller
20
PartridgePeaBobGlennon
21
throughoutthestatehelpingprescribeburnover800acresof
VDGIF,orpartnerlands.
Par cipatedinororganized15publicoutreachevents.
th
Held7 successfulmee ngoftheVirginiaQuailCouncil.
Conductedaninputmee ngwithVirginiasGameBirdOrientednon
governmentalorganiza ons.
Heldtwomul dayteamtraining/planningmee ngs.
CompletedGeneralAssemblyrequestedQuailEortsOverviewandDevelopmentreport.
HeldsuccessfulworkshopforSouthsideBeeKeepers,over100a ending.
CotaughtPrescribedFire310aspartoftheVirginiaDepartmentofForestrysWildlifeFireAcademy.
Par cipatedonVirginiasPrescribedFireCouncil.
Par cipatedinajointmee ngofPartnersinFlightandtheNa onalBobwhiteConserva onIni a ve.
Par cipatedinhighlevelmee ngsoftheNa onalBobwhiteTechnicalCommi ee.
UpdatedVirginiasQuailWebpage.
RepresentedsmallgameinterestsinVDGIFsregula onsinputanddevelopmentprocess.
Conducted,Junecallcounts,RuralMailCarrierandAvidQuailHunterSurveys.
CompletedNBCIModalFocalAreaPointCountmonitoring(oneof7pilotstates).
MaintainedtheVirginiaBobwhiteBulle nFacebookpage.
DevelopedoutreachitemsforsaleonVDGIFswebstoreandforgiveawaystolandownersand
partnersusingournewlogo(seenhere!)
Thereismorethatwesimplyforgetabout.Itishardto
captureitall,andifwespentless mebeingheldac
countable,wedhavemore metogetworkdoneon
theground.Thetablebelowemphasizessomeofthe
thingsweplacegreatvalueoninaddi ontowhatwe
havealreadydescribed.
Perhaps the biggest news for our team this year has
beenrevising,seekinginput,planningandimprovingthe
QRIforthenext5years.Thisisaveryposi veeventbe
causeourfirstquailplanbackinthelate1990sdidnot
survivebudgetcutsandchanging mes.Oneofthekey
points we made when developing our latest quail plan
was that it needed me to work and we are pleased
with our agencys commitment, as well as that of our
partners, to produce long term quail recovery. To that
end,ourrevisionprocesshasgonelikethis:(1)wecon
ductedaninternalreviewofthequailplanwhichinclud
edamee ngandinputsessionofoursmallgame...
22
Private lands wildlife biologists summary of accomplishments (in conjunction with many partners):
Fiscal Year
Site Visits
New Contacts
235
Management
Plans
104
Managed
Habitat
1,168
Total
Farm
Acres Owned
21,080
2010
251
2011
540
406
270
5,354
81,972
2012
429
397
295
5,145
32,955
2013
454
164
300
5,649
41,160
2014
375
196
229
7,844
51,843
501
280
365
1,751
65,650
Totals
2,550
1,678
1,563
26,911
294,660
Note that habitat contracts and acres declined this year due to several factors. Funding declined for one
thing,andthathadaneect.Alsonotethenumberofsitevisitsincreasedandwehaveahighnumberof
contractspendingwhichwillhitduringthisfiscalyear.Itisencouragingtoseethishighnumberofnewcon
tactscon nuinga ersixyearsofwork.Thistellsusinterestiss llstrong.Wearege ngobserva onalre
ports back from hunters and cons tuents across the state seeing quail in areas where they had not been
seeninrecentyears.Proper esinthenorthernpiedmontwheresubstan alworkwasdonehavehadquail
return.DuringourpointcountmonitoringinSussexCounty,weheardagoodnumberofquailonourrefer
enceandfocalareas.Huntersinthepeninsularcoun es,aswellasinthecentralpiedmontreportedaslight
comeback is underway. Yet in south central Virginia hunters reported very low numbers last season. Our
surveys have not yet all come in and have not been
analyzedforthissummer,buthatchingweatherearly
on was fantas c. It turned dry for a spell during late
summer,butIdonotbelieveithadanega veimpact
onoverallhatching.Iwouldpredictwehavehadone
of the be er hatching years in recent memory. The
hunters can tell me a er this season whether I was
correct or not. Our team will keep grinding away at
habitatcrea on.Therearemoreandmorepeoplein
our state recognizing the value of thickets, weeds,
wildflowers and na ve grasses. At some point well
DavidBryan
reachacri calmassandwewillseesomerecovery.
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