Bird surveys show increase of quail in southeast Missouri focus area

Results of the Missouri Department of Conservation's recently completed spring breeding bird surveys in Scott County showed increased numbers of Bobwhite quail. (MDC file photo)

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) recently completed spring breeding bird surveys in Scott County and the results showed increased numbers of Bobwhite quail. These surveys were conducted within the Scott County Quail Focus Area as well as outside the focus area.  Within the focus area with improved grassland habitat, 217 birds were heard and 56 of those were Bobwhite quail, which was the emphasis of the study. The 56 quail that were heard is an increase from the 44 quail counted in 2014 and 17 quail counted in 2013.

According to MDC Private Lands Conservationist Brad Pobst, the survey included Dickcissel, Eastern meadowlark, Field sparrow, Northern bobwhite, and Ring-necked pheasant; all grassland birds. The purpose of the surveys is to track the effects of grassland habitat improvements based on the numbers of grassland birds recorded in the area.

“If there’s an increase of birds in the area, we can agree that the birds are responding well to the habitat,” Pobst said.

To conduct the study, conservationists listen for male birds as they call for a mate in several different areas. Pobst said MDC also conducts a Fall Covey Count focused on Bobwhite quail, to estimate the number of quail coveys in an area.

For this spring breeding survey, the focus area was land where habitat improvements have been made. Another portion of the study was done in an area that’s not currently managed for grassland habitat. In the area without grassland habitat management, conservationists heard a total of 87 birds, of which 16 were Bobwhite quail.

Pobst attributes the increase in quail numbers to the use of federal and state cost share programs like Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and Idle Land Programs. 

“Landowners within the Scott County focus area are taking advantage of these programs and transitioning their less productive farm ground into wildlife friendly grasses and forbs that benefit these grassland birds,” Pobst said. 

When landowners transition land into wildlife friendly grassland habitat, they enroll their less productive ground.

“Landowners are also experiencing success by signing up for the MDC’s Idle Lands Program that is only available on sandy soils,” Pobst said.

As part of this and other programs, private lands conservationists, like Pobst, work with the landowners to manage their acreage for the benefit of the grassland birds through workshops, writing management plans and burn plans, meeting on site to discuss management options, and providing information on available programs. Grassland management includes techniques such as prescribed burns, disking, controlling invasive species and woody encroachment.

Pobst said MDC is always looking for more landowners to commit to improving grassland bird habitat.

“Only a very small percentage of land in Missouri is public land, so our birds truly are dependent on private landowners to work toward developing this vital habitat,” Pobst said. “We’re here to work with folks to help them get the most out of their land for wildlife habitat.”

More information on Bobwhite quail populations in Missouri and how to get started on developing grassland bird habitat can be found at mdc.mo.gov, or by contacting a local Missouri Department of Conservation office.

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MDC offers quail habitat field day in Livingston County

Chillicothe, Mo. – Bobwhite quail thrive when management practices provide sheltering

vegetation and food. Often those practices dovetail nicely with production agriculture. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and Quail Forever will offer a field day 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 27, on private lands in the Poosey Quail Focus Area. The field day is free. Lunch and resource materials will be provided.

   Land owners and property managers are invited to learn about habitat management that boost quail populations. Topics will include practices that provide good nesting and brood rearing cover, quail biology, cost share programs for habitat improvements and how to form landowner cooperatives to raise quail numbers within rural neighborhoods. Good quail habitat can also benefit other ground-nesting birds, too. Participants will tour private properties with habitat improvements.

   The field day will begin 10.5 miles west of Chillicothe off Missouri 190 highway. Watch for tour signs.

   Interested land managers are asked to make reservations by Sept. 19. Contact Scott Roy, MDC private lands conservationist, 660-359-5685 ext. 114, james.roy@mdc.mo.gov; or contact Andrew White, Quail Forever biologist, 660-646-6220 ext. 116, awhite@quailforever.org.

   Missouri is a great place to enjoy wildlife and hunt game birds. MDC helps people participate in healthy conservation practices. For information on all programs, http://www.mdc.mo.gov.

Quail Forecast has bright spots

Image via Wikipedia

Population surveys on Quail Emphasis Areas and private land

present a different picture than those for the state as a whole.

JEFFERSON CITY–Results of Missouri’s annual statewide quail population survey give quail hunters little to rejoice about. However, bobwhites are holding their own in some areas and making gains in others where landowners and the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) have made quail management a priority.

One way the agency tracks quail is through roadside surveys. Each August, conservation agents count quail along 30-mile routes in 110 of Missouri’s 114 counties. Only Clay, Jackson, St. Louis and St. Charles counties are not surveyed. The 2011 roadside surveys recorded an average of 1.4 quail per 30-mile route. That is 36 percent lower than last year and 56 percent below the average over the past 10 years. Results from the roadside survey are consistent with other measures that document a continuing, long-term decline in bobwhite numbers statewide and throughout most of their range.

Agricultural Wildlife Ecologist Beth Emmerich, who analyzes bobwhite quail population data gathered by MDC field staff, says that while Missouri’s quail picture is not rosy, it isn’t as bad as the roadside survey numbers make it seem. Shenotes that quail populations vary significantly in different parts of the state and even locally. Some of those variations reflect differences in weather patterns. Others show where MDC and private conservationists have been at work.

“Quail counts in northwest Missouri are up 63-percent compared to last year,” said Emmerich, “while counts in the Mississippi lowlands, which had severe and extended flooding this year, show a 92-percent decline over the same period. Looking at the roadside survey numbers, you might think it wasn’t worth getting your dog out of its pen, but that is absolutely not true.”

Emmerich said roadside quail surveys occur on the same routes every year. They document quail population changes in those areas over time. However, they don’t take into account quail population trends in areas where work is underway to create quality quail habitat. That is why MDC conducts fall covey counts at 19 conservation areas (CAs) that have been designated Quail Emphasis Areas.

Starting in mid-October each fall, MDC biologists visit randomly selected plots on Quail Emphasis Areas early in the morning and listen for calling quail. They record the location of each covey in earshot. They flush some of the coveys to get an idea of how many birds are in each. Feeding these data into statistical population models allows biologists to estimate area quail populations. Covey counts are a practical way to evaluate the effectiveness of habitat management efforts.

Emmerich said results from this year’s covey counts are not all in yet, and she won’t finish analyzing those data until next year. But early results already document some quail-management success stories. They also illustrate how weather affects quail populations. 

On Oct. 11, Resource Assistant Chez Kleeman flushed a covey of quail at Bois D’Arc CA in Greene County. Some of the birds were sparrow-sized and barely able to fly. Quail that successfully raise early clutches sometimes nest again and raise a second brood that year. Seeing small birds in October indicates Bois D’Arc’s quail may have “double-clutched.” Backing this up are reports from Bois D’Arc staff that quail numbers are up this year.

According to Private Land Conservationist Mike Gaskins, landowners in Dent and Shannon counties also have reported are seeing late-hatched quail and turkey broods in recent weeks.

Resource Forester Phil Sneed, who manages Poosey CA in Livingston County, also reported seeing very young quail in some covey counts, so portions of northern Missouri have experienced late quail nesting success as well.

Sneed also reported hearing coveys in new locations. That is a sign of good habitat conditions. Average covey size on Poosey was 11 to 12 quail, with two 20-bird coveys.

Dave Hoover, manager of the Seat CA in Worth County, reported covey counts slightly better than the last year. However, he cautions that quail numbers remain low there, due to extremely difficult weather conditions that plagued ground-nesting birds from 2007 through 2010. 

Staff at Whetstone Creek CA in Callaway County and William White Memorial CA in Lincoln County reported covey counts 50 percent smaller than in 2010.  Heavy snow that lingered throughout much of last winter in parts of central Missouri may have cut into this and some other local populations.

Private Land Conservationist Nathan Mechlin called 2011 a good quail-production year for Clinton, Caldwell and Daviess counties. He said both quail and turkey brood sightings are up from previous years. Those results are spotty, however, and landowners in some areas report seeing very few birds.

Each year, MDC makes habitat improvements on more than 75,000 acres on CAs. These improvements benefit quail and other wildlife that share the bobwhite’s habitat needs. Roadside quail counts occur along routes established before this work began and are not designed to measure the success of quail management on CAs.

Just as the roadside survey fails to capture information about Quail Emphasis Areas, it also does not reflect progress made on private land. Emmerich said hundreds of Missourians are working to restore quail habitat. Some have organized cooperatives to work with MDC and other agencies in dozens of Quail Focus Areas around the state.

“The Conservation Department is making a significant investment in quail management on private land each year through cost-share and landowner incentive programs,” said Emmerich.  “One partnership we are especially proud of is the Habitat Challenge Grants program. This summer, the Department awarded a total of $133,000 in funding to Quail Forever, the Quail  and Upland Wildlife Federation, Quail Unlimited and the National Wild Turkey Federation. Through habitat challenge grants, each of these conservation organizations provides matching funds to help landowners complete habitat work on their land.”

Emmerich said MDC’s Landowner Assistance Program channels more than $1 million a year into habitat enhancements that benefit quail and other wildlife that share the bobwhite’s habitat needs. The agency also promotes federal farm bill programs such as the Conservation Reserve Program, which funds quail-friendly habitat work.

For locations and additional information about MDC’s Quail Emphasis Areas, visit mdc.mo.gov/node/3333. For more information about Quail Opportunity Areas and quail management, visit mdc.mo.gov/node/12606.

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Quail conservationists unite at Missouri Bobwhite Quail Summit

June 16 seminar seeks to improve quail and small-game populations by educating landowners

 Written by Rebecca Maples, MDC

 JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Quail are making a comeback, and conservationists will be flocking to the Missouri Bobwhite Quail Summit to help bring back these native birds. The summit will be held at the Bradford Research and Extension Center in Columbia on June 16 from 1 to 4 p.m. with field tours immediately afterward. It is open to all private landowners, wildlife enthusiasts, natural resource professionals and interested citizens.

Sponsored by the Conservation Federation of Missouri and the University of Missouri’s Bradford Farm, the event is an educational opportunity for landowners interested in improving quail and small game habitat. Seminar topics will include assessing land’s potential for bobwhite habitat, management strategies for restoration, effects of weather on quail numbers and how to fund quail restoration.

Missouri’s bobwhite quail population has been steadily declining due to changes in agricultural activity and land management.  The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) partners with various organizations to help restore the state’s quail population and proper habitat.

According to MDC Grassland Birds Coordinator Max Alleger, adding the summit to annual field tours at Bradford Farm is an attempt to involve new landowners in Missouri’s ongoing quail management plan.

“A truly unique aspect of this event is that all of our quail partners, including Quail Forever, Quail and Upland Wildlife Federation (QUWF), MU and NRCS [Natural Resources Conservation Service] are participating,” said Alleger.

Speakers at the summit will represent various organizations involved in Missouri’s quail management efforts.

“The summit has several purposes,” said QUWF Chief Wildlife Biologist Nick Prough. “One of the main ones is to bring landowners, biologists, agencies, organizations and interested conservationists all together on one day to discuss what has been done in the past for quail and quail habitat throughout Missouri, what has worked well in the past and what needs to be changed and done in the future.”

Following the discussion session, a panel of Missouri landowners will discuss their personal successes with quail management. More than 90 percent of Missouri’s land is privately owned, so landowners have an essential role in restoring quail habitat. MDC Private Land Services staff currently assist about 17,000 Missouri landowners with quail restoration and habitat conservation.

“The summit will share the latest habitat information with all the attendees so they can bring that information back to their local area and work with their partners to improve habitat locally,” Prough noted, emphasizing the importance of landowner participation.

To register for the summit, send your name, address and contact information by mail to MU BREC, 4968 Rangeline Road, Columbia, MO 65201-8973 or by e-mail to ChismT@missouri.edu, or call (573) 884-7945. For more information on the status of quail in Missouri, visit www.missouriconservation.org and search “Quail Management.”

MU to host Missouri Bobwhite Quail Summit and Quail Field Day, June 16

Image via Wikipedia

COLUMBIA, Mo. – This year’s University of Missouri bobwhite quail and native plant field day expands to include a Missouri Bobwhite Quail Summit, June 16 at MU’s Bradford Research and Extension Center near Columbia. Both events will be free.

The northern bobwhite quail, a once-abundant upland game bird, has suffered a steep population decline in Missouri and across its range during the past few decades, partly due to modern farming practices that have erased prime quail habitat. In recent years, MU Bradford Farm has served as a laboratory for implementing practices that integrate habitat management for bobwhites into modern farm operations.

The field day, 4-8 p.m., will feature wagon tours of habitat management techniques that have created the mixture of plant communities bobwhites need for nesting, feeding and protection from predators.  These practices have helped increase the population of bobwhites on the farm and surrounding area. 

“We’re going to talk about conducting management practices in stands of warm-season grasses so that they don’t become so overgrown and that encourage  a greater diversity of plants, such as legumes and other native forbs,” said Tim Reinbott, superintendent at the 591-acre research farm several miles east of Columbia. “We’ll also show how to renovate tall fescue to make it more wildlife-friendly.”

MU Extension agricultural economist Joe Horner will talk about the economics of integrating wildlife habitat and crop production. Other new topics this year include native pollinators, enhancing wildlife on small acreage, and pond and waterway management.

According to Bob Pierce, MU Extension fish and wildlife specialist, the field day will also include indoor workshops on quail ecology, habitat management, and population dynamics, including the impact of predators. Drinks and hamburgers will be served and visitors will have the opportunity to buy native plants.

There will be two sessions conducted during the Missouri Bobwhite Quail Summit.    The morning session will be organized specifically for wildlife and natural resource professionals.  The afternoon session, 1-4 p.m., will bring together private landowners, natural resource professionals and other interested persons to discuss the latest research on strategies and tools for conserving and restoring bobwhite habitat, learn about funding opportunities, and hear landowner success stories, said Pierce. 

Both events are free and open to the public. Registration is not required for the field day but people interested in participating in the afternoon session of the Bobwhite Quail Summit  should RSVP to MU BREC, 4968 Rangeline Road, Columbia, MO 65201-8973 or ChismT@missouri.edu, or call 573-884-7945.

For more information about these events, contact Bob Pierce at 573-882-4337 or PierceR@missouri.edu.

Field day sponsors are MU Extension; the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources; Lincoln University; Missouri Department of Conservation; the Missouri Soybean Association; and the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Sponsors for the Missouri Bobwhite Quail Summit include the Conservation Federation of Missouri, Quail Forever; the Quail and Upland Wildlife Federation; Quail Unlimited; the National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative; MU Extension; and the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources.