Hawks and Quail: A Conundrum for Managers by Dr. Dale RollinsRepeat after me: hawks are protected by state and federal laws; it is illegal to harm them in anyway. Now, repeat that at least three times before proceeding.The day after Christmas found me and the “Betters” hunting an old haunt on the north hills of the Red River. As we drove from one spot to another along a sandy road, two Cooper’s hawks flushed from a tangled hackberry alongside the road. I stopped inquisitively to see what they were dining upon—sure enough it was a bobwhite cock.
 For quail managers and hunters, hawks are contentious critters. But to others, they enjoy a special significance as majestic hunters and role-players in the “balance of nature.” I can appreciate both perspectives, so I hope my discussion here is both accurate, and objective.
Hawks eat quail, among other things. Some hawks likely eat a lot of quail, while others are simply opportunistic, i.e., their diet is one of whatever can be caught the easiest.
At the Bobwhite Brigade, we play a game called “Run for Your Life.” Imagine an area about the size of a basketball court with hula-hoops scattered over it. The hula-hoops represent “quail houses” (i.e., loafing coverts) where quail can escape from raptors. Various candies are scattered across the field to represent seeds and insects. In order to survive, the “quail” (Brigade cadets) have to scurry around and secure “seeds” while avoiding their omnipresent predators.
We introduce them to two main types of hawks: “buteos” (broad-winged hawks like redtails) and “accipiters” (falcon-like hawks, e.g., Cooper’s hawks). In our skit, buteos can only walk as they pursue quail—they’re just not very adept at catching quail. But accipiters can run and dive—they are designed to catch birds.
As the exercise progresses, cadets see how an accipiter is a force. But as long as ample quail houses are distributed appropriately across the playing court, the quail can survive. But when the rancher comes in and clears too much “brush” (i.e., hula-hoops), the competitive advantage quickly shifts to the hawks.
I recognize three types of hawks as predators of quail: buteos, accipiters, and northern harriers (“marsh hawks”). I characterize their significance to quail in terms of military aircraft. Buteos are B-29s—slow, lumbering, but powerful—they will catch every quail they can, but they’re not designed to catch quail. Accipiters on the other hand, e.g., Cooper’s hawks, are F-16s—they’re designed for air-to-air combat and command air supremacy. Northern harriers play the role of A-10 Warthogs—low-flying and tactical.
Okay, quail have to contend with hawks; so what’s new?
West Texas is blessed to have all three groups, and their abundance tends to peak in late-winter. Now, relative to bobwhites, the past 30 years have been pretty kind to raptors. Reasons for their abundance include a cleaner environment (i.e., reduction in use of organochlorine insecticides), law enforcement, and education (i.e., appreciation of predators in general). Indeed some species, e.g. Cooper’s hawks have boomed (See Figure Below).
Now take this next comment as speculation on my part. In my opinion, a quail would rather face your brace of pointers and two humpback Brownings than it would face a Cooper’s hawk—and probably for good reason. A Cooper’s hawk is an adult bobwhite’s worst enemy. In the bobwhite realm, they must take on a Freddie Krueger meets Jason appearance (for you horror movie fans). I have witnessed on several occasions a Cooper’s hawk pursuing a bobwhite (and also scaled quail) in flight and the quail are screaming bloody murder, proverbially speaking.
Harriers may lack the flying skill of a Cooper’s hawk, but they make up for it in their numbers, at least at RPQRR. We initiated raptor counts in December 2008. We drive an 18-mile route four times per month, and count how many raptors are observed. Our typical count will be about 10 to 20 raptors observed, with most of them being harriers.
Back in January 1943, A. S. Jackson, a biologist for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, investigated a massive quail “die-off” in the Rolling Plains. He described the scene as “. . . everywhere, the ground was littered with evidence that predation had been recent and terrific.” The range had been depleted by drought and overstocking across most of the region, and the bobwhites there were essentially doomed. In this case northern harriers were the executioners.
But do harriers target quail? Herb Stoddard collected 1,100 “pellets” from harrier roosts in Florida during the 1920s. Only four of the pellets contained quail while 84% contained cotton rats.
Harriers are mobile. And as such they can move to where the hunting’s best. Now, if you’ve got a quail honeyhole, likely the harriers will find it. And good quail country typically has better vegetation than the surrounding landscape, so it likely also has more rodents (which are the mainstay of the buteo’s and harrier’s diets). There’s a positive feedback loop taking shape here.
One rancher I know, who tends to have as good a quail hunting as anyone in west Texas, reckons he loses a covey of quail per week to hawks on his 3,500-acre ranch. I don’t doubt him. And his landscape is “sculpted” with quail I mind. So what can we do?
 First, repeat the opening paragraph. Next, recognize the importance of escape cover, e.g., taller grass, broomweeds, and a brush-punctuated landscape—such nonlethal approaches are all we have in our arsenal when it comes to flummoxing raptors. As you contemplate brush management, strive to ensure that a quail is never more than 75 yards from woody cover. I want a quail to be able to make it to cover within three seconds of flushing—if it takes four seconds, the odds begin to favor the hawk.
Researchers at Tall Timbers Research Station in Florida have found that an intensive supplemental feeding program reduces the exposure of quail to, hence mortality from, raptors. Such findings contradict the long-held, and typically promoted, assertions that feeding predisposes quail to increased predation by hawks. Other recent studies in the Panhandle, west Texas, and New Mexico question whether feeding/feeders increase quail mortality from raptors.
At RPQRR, we have several research projects planned to better define the hawk-quail relationship. We will also be testing whether radio-marking quail does indeed “radiohandicap” them, i.e., does it predispose them to a higher rate of predation?
During these trials, it’s interesting to see how quail evade their pursuers. They fly at ground level with their “afterburners” on, then typically seek one of two cover types: either (a) a large catclaw acacia the size of your pickup truck or (b) a large motte of prickly pear. These microhabitats are usually riddled with rat burrows and the harried quail doesn’t hesitate to become “fossorial”, i.e., go underground.
Indeed raptors are fascinating birds, and worthy adversaries. I appreciate that the quail I love are products of a long history of coping with predators. Their anatomy (e.g., cryptic coloration), morphology (a “crop” for an eat-and-run lifestyle), and behavior (e.g., covey rises) reflect the evolutionary pressure of selection among a sea of predators.
And, on a level playing field, quail can hold their own. But in many landscapes, that playing field has been tipped to favor the enemies of quail—some that we can manage (e.g. raccoons) and others we cannot (lethally-speaking). But if can adjust my management to tip the scales to favor of quail, and to challenge the raptor, that is what I will do.
Let them eat grackles.
Next month, the discussion will center on bobcats and quail. If you have observations based on your experiences afield, and especially if you have pictures of quail predation by bobcats, please share them with me at d-rollins@tamu.edu.
Two articles to get you primed Bobcat Predation on Quail, Birds, and Mesomammals and Impacts of Predation on Quail
Sign up now!
Mark Friday, Jan 28, 2011 as the date for the 4th annual Distinguished Lectureship in Quail Management in downtown Roby, TX. This year’s speaker will be Brad Mueller of Tallahassee, Florida. The theme is “The Art of Quail Management.” For more information, contact Rachel Vega at 325-653-4576 or e-mail rrvega@ag.tamu.edu.
 The 2011 QuailMasters class is now seeking recruits. QuailMasters is a series of 4, 3-day sessions which build upon each other, i.e., students must attend all four sessions. Session dates and locations are: April 30 – May 2 (Roby), June 4-6 (location TBA), August 20-22 (Roby), and October 15-17 (Kingsville). Students have the opportunity to tour some of the best managed quail properties in Texas; they also build plant and seed collections for their own properties and learn how to evaluate management practices. Tuition is $400 which covers course materials, refreshments and most meals. Three hours of graduate credit are also available for an additional fee. References and more information available upon request.
The Bobwhite Brigade celebrates its 19th anniversary this June. Applications for cadets (ages 13-17) and Covey Leaders (adults) are available at www.texasbrigades.org. Tuition for cadets is $400, but scholarships are available; Covey Leaders attend free of charge. Dates for the Rolling Plains Bobwhite Brigade (held at Centennial Lodge near Coleman) are June 18-22; the South Texas Bobwhite Brigade convenes June 26-30 at the 74 Ranch near Campbellton. For more information, check the Brigade’s website.
Cadence call (Conservation cadences from the Bobwhite Brigade)
I don’t know but I just heard,
About a man named Herb Stoddard.
In his book now he did tell,
All about the bobwhite quail.
Sound off: bob-white, sound off: bobwhite!
Bob-white Brigade, Bob-white Brigade!
In the News
The annual “RPQRR GPS Bird Dog Census” was completed last October 22-23; you can see a photojournalistic report on Field & Stream Magazine’s blog; see www.fieldandstream.com. Special thanks to Field & Stream Magazine’s Chad Love and Garmin, Inc.’s Ted Gartner for their sponsorship.
“Where Have All the Quail Gone?” will be the focus of a daylong workshop slated for February 23 in Abilene. For more details and registration information, contact Robert Pritz at at r-pritz@tamu.edu or telephone 325-672-6048. Encore workshops are being planned for Wichita Falls, San Angelo, and Ft. Worth later this spring; stay tuned for details on those venues.
Park Cities Quail will host its annual fundraiser banquet on March 10 at the Frontiers of flight Museum in Dallas. See their website (www.parkcitiesquail.org) for more details. The PCQ has been the “wind” under the RPQRR’s wings over the past four years, and have donated $1.3 million to our research program since that time. Ray Murski of Dalllas will be honored as the winner of the T. Boon Pickens Lifetime Sportsman Award. Murski has been a long-time friend and supporter of the Bobwhite Brigade since 1995. Congratulations Ray!
“Trophy Quail Management” was the subject of a “webinar” on December 16, 2010. The program can be viewed at http://www.forestrywebinars.net/trophy-quail-management/.
As of its December 9, 2010 update of ENSO conditions, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued a La Niña Advisory. La Niña's climatological counterbalance is El Niño which we'd much rather see (as we did for the latter part of 2009 and most of the 2010 growing season). El Niño blesses Texas and Oklahoma with "El Greeño" weather, hence a bountiful cotton crop this past year (and typically a good quail crop but not this last year). What does this mean for us? Warm, dry weather will continue through the winter, and possibly through the spring. Consistent with nearly all ENSO forecast models La Niña is expected to peak during November-January and to continue into spring. Thereafter, the fate of La Niña is more uncertain.
If you haven’t dabbled with the NRCS’ Web Soil Survey, you’re missing a powerful online tool that can provide all kinds of soil-related data at your fingertips. See http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/HomePage.htm and explore its potential. As a homework exercise, zoom in on your favorite quail honeyhole, then check the soil series . . . is it a sandy or sandy loam soil? Odds are it is. Also, just recently the University of California Davis has combined soils, plant, and other data with Google Earth maps. It has lots of great links. It defaults to California but just type in a location and it immediately zooms to it. Check it out at http://casoilresource.lawr.ucdavis.edu/soilweb_gmap/. And, at least on my computer, it’s considerably faster than the Web Soil Survey.
Plant of the Month: Mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa)
Mesquite needs no introduction to any Texas quail hunter—it is the most ubiquitous shrub across the western half of the state. As such it is the hub for quail habitat across the Rolling Plains. Couple it with lotebush and some prickly pear and you have a classic background for a John Cowan painting. Mesquite provides cover and food for quails. For cover’s sakes, I prefer a “mushroom” type growth form; spare 10 to 20 of these per acre when sculpting brush; take out the single-stemmed upright growth forms (I know, this is bass-ackwards from what your typical rancher would advise). The beans of mesquite are typically in the Top 10 quail seeds. Note the “slick” beans pictured here (photo courtesy Steve Hurst @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database); ever tried to get one out of the pod in this condition? If you do, I’ll bet you had to really work at it. But quail have them in the crop quite slick and clean, so how do they do it? See the RPQRR Facebook page for the answer @ www.facebook.com/rpqrr.
Forward this message to a friend
|
Paul Melton of Roby reports hearing a bobwhite cock “bob-whiting” on Christmas Day. At first he thought he was hearing a mimic, e.g., a mockingbird or starling. But when the bird continued to sing south of his house, he grabbed his binoculars and moved closer. Sure enough sitting atop a fence post, the cock continued to sing as if it was early June. The calendar-challenged bird might want to rethink his chorale (jubilation) given that we harbor a lot more Cooper’s hawks in December than in June.
The testes of a quail during the non-breeding season (i.e., winter) are about the size of a No. 6 shot. As daylength (“photoperiod”) increases, the testes grow until May when they are about the size of .50 caliber muzzleloader ball. The gonads regress in size during the fall with decreasing daylength, presumably as a weight-saving strategy
Got a new e-mail address? Please [Click Here] to update your information if you wish to continue receiving e-Quail.
Forwarded from a friend? Please [Click Here] to sign up for the RPQRR e-Quail Newsletters!
(Meanwhile Back at the Ranch) - RPQRR welcomes Mark Tyson as its newest grad student. Mark will be pursuing his Master’s degree at Texas Tech University under the tutelage of Dr. Warren Ballard and Dr. Rollins. His research project will be to analyze 3 years’ worth of coyote scats collected monthly here at RPQRR. Mark received his B.S. in Wildlife Ecology from Sul Ross State University.
Blue quail tend to be better survivors than bobwhites in the same range. I think of them as Spanish goats whereas the bobwhites tend to be more akin to Angoras, i.e., the blue is a better “hustler.” A blue quail will almost always have some food in its crop, and generally it will contain 2-4 times more food than a bobwhite taken at the same time of the day. Spring and summer survival of blue quail west of San Angelo was about thrice that of bobwhites during one study. More recent studies in the Trans-Pecos region suggest that blue quail survived during the breeding season at rates (e.g., 80%) typically much greater than those reported for bobwhites during the same time period. Val Lehmann, who studied quail on the King Ranch for 40 years considered scaled quail to be “somewhat more intelligent than bobwhites.” A. S. Jackson (working in the Rolling Plains during the 1940s) reported that evidence of predation on scaled quail was “light” and that scaled quail were apparently less vulnerable to avian predation than were bobwhites. But alas, regardless of these purported superiorities, blue quail are in the same funk as bobwhites at this time.
25.27 - That was our official precipitation total (in inches) for 2010. The 30-year mean for Roby (10 miles east of RPQRR) is 24.2 inches. What started out as a wonderful rainfall year for quail (i.e., we had over 24 inches by September 15) went kaput in September—we’ve recorded less than 0.5 inches in the last 90 days.
www.quailresearch.org
|
But in one respect, at least relative to quail managers, the NASA team had it easy—their scientific discipline dealt mostly with physics, not ecology. The former is bound by various physical laws (e..g, gravity), and behaves according to mathematical equations. The latter’s laws are less predictable and more vulnerable to chaos. But we work with what we have.
