THE BOBWHITE BULLETIN

An Update on the Virginia Quail Recovery Initiative

6th Edition, Fall 2015

Welcome from the Quail Team!

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

Quail Priority Areas

Hanover: (804) 537-5225 x 119

Christiansburg: (540) 381-4221 x 128

Smithfield: (757) 357-7004 x 126

Halifax: (540) 315-0074

Verona: (540) 248-6218 x 108

Marc Puckett - Project Leader: (434) 392-8328

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.

Amy Johnson and Charlo e Lorick:VirginiaWorkingLandscapes(VWL)

ItsbeenanotherbusyyearforbiodiversitystudiesonVir
ginias working lands. Weve been up to our ears in un
mowedmeadows,beeiden fica ons,anddatasheetsand
for us, thats great. We are part of the Virginia Working
Landscapes (VWL) team at the Smithsonian Conserva on
Biology Ins tute (SCBI). VWL works to promote the con
serva on of Virginias na ve biodiversity and encourage
the sustainable use of land through ecosystem research,
habitat monitoring and community engagement. Since
2010,VWLhasmonitoredplants,birds,andpollinatorson
public and private grasslands throughout 15 coun es in
Virginia.Wehaveworkedwithover50dierentlandown
ers and surveyed more than 100 fields. The informa on
collectedisusedtoinformlandownermanagementanddevelopbestprac cesforconservingwildlifehabitat
onworkinglands.
Oneofthereasonswevehadsuchaproduc veyearatVWLisduetopartnersliketheVirginiaQuailRecov
eryIni a ve(VQRI).Thisyearwejoinedforceswiththisdedicatedteamtoshareknowledge,networkcon
tacts, and resources to further our mutual conserva on eorts in the region. Together, we expanded our
reachbyengagingnewlandowners,oeredmoreworkshopstoboostcommunityoutreachandpriori zed
regionalmanagementneedsattheannualVQRImee ng.
So what does this mean for quail? Overthe5yearsthatwevesurveyedfields,wehaveseenveryfewquail
andweo enhearthesamestoryfromlandowners.Iusedtohearbobwhitesonthefarmbuthavent...

FieldSparrowNestAmyJohnson

Amy Johnson and Charlo e Lorick:VWLcon nued...

...heardthemforyears.Wheredidtheygo?WhatcanIdotobringthemback?Thisiswherethepartner
shipwithVQRIcomesintoac on.OursurveyareaoverlapswithcoverageareasofseveralVQRIprivatelands
biologists (PLBs). These PLBs are equipped with knowledge specific to the goals of landowners wan ng to
restorequailtotheirproperty.WhileVWLmonitorshabitatsandspeciesonprivatelands,wedontprovide
the technical assistance to answer these ques ons. So if landowners want to help bring back the quail
workingwithPLBsonhabitatrestora onisthebestapproach.
But, how does one recognize the progress of habitat restora on?HowdoPLBsandlandownersknowif
theireortsareworking?ThatstheanswerVWLseeksthroughourmonitoring.Manyoftheserestora on
projects involve the conversion of nonna ve cool season grasses, such as fescue, to na ve warm season
grassesandforbssuchasli lebluestemandwildbergamot.Ourfieldteam,madeupalmosten relyoflocal
volunteerci zenscien sts,monitorsbothofthesefieldtypes.Eachyearwetrainanddeployabout50volun
teerswhobravetheheat,gnats,thistlesand ckstomeasurehowtheseprojectsimpactbiodiversity.Many
environmental factors influence progress so although not all projects produce quail (though weve seen it
happen in the first year!), theres o en other wildlife reaping the benefits of these eorts. Here are some
observa onswevemadeatourVirginiasites:

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

Amy Johnson and Charlo e Lorick:VWLcon nued...

Na ve warm season grass meadows are a vital resource for wintering birds such as the American Tree
Sparrow (pictured below).Wehavesurveyedwinteringbirdcommuni esinfieldscomprisedofbothna
ve warm season grasses and cool season grasses. The dierence between field types in bird abundance
alonehasbeenimpressive.Onefield,forexample,weobserveda100foldincreaseintheaveragenumberof
birdsa erthefieldwasconvertedtoana vegrassmeadow.Thiscouldbeduetotheabundanceofseeds
thatremainonthena vespeciesthroughoutthewinteringmonths,butisalsolikelyduetothecoverthey
provideduring harshweatherandheavysnow.Na vewarmseasongrassescreatetentlike pathways and
sheltersbeneaththemeadowcanopythroughoutthewinter,whilecoolseasongrassestendtolayflushwith
theground.Withallofthisinmind,putoyourfallmowingplansun learlyspring.
VWLsurveyshavebeenagreatwaytomeasuretheposi veimpactsthattheVQRIhashadnotonlyonquail,
butonthegrasslandcommunityasawhole.These posi ve impacts are how we recognize progress.
IfyoureinterestedinmeasuringtheprogressofVQRIhabitatprojectsonyourproperty,wearealwayson
thelookoutfornewsurveyfields.OurcurrentsurveyregionrangesfromLoudountoAugustaCountyandwe
requirefieldstobeaminimumof20con guousacresofgrassland.OursurveyseasonbeginsinmidMayof
eachyearandspansthroughtheendofAugust,duringwhich meweaskthatyourfieldisfreefromman
agement (bushhogging, heavy grazing, spraying, etc.). At the end of the year, each landowner is provided
withareportofourfindingswhichisalsoavailabletothepubliconourwebsite.Toseelastyearsresults,to
findhelpfulresources,orformoreinforma onontheworkwedoandthelessonswevelearned,visitusat
www.VAWorkingLandscapes.org.Themorepeoplewegetinvolved,especiallypriortoahabitatrestora on
project,themoresuccessstorieswellhavetoshare!

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

David Bryan:PLWBNortheastVAFieldOcecon nued...

...in conjunc on with the Virginia
Working Landscapes team and, on
their own me and dime, prepared
lunchfortheen regroup.Nowthatis
Southern hospitality! Weeks later, the
Tidballs also allowed the Natural Re
sourcesConserva onServicetohosta
wildlifetrainingforitsfieldstaonthe
site.
I could go on and on, but you all get
thepicture.TheTidballshavebeenan
inspira ontoallofusintheconserva
on field and an example to all. Not
onlydotheyhavethespeciesontheir
land,thefruitsoftheirlabors,butthey
are willing to share with others. It is
onlytheeortsoftheTidballsandoth
erlandownerslikethemthatwillallow
ourIni a vetobeasuccess.

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

Scien fic Name

Seeding Rate (weight of

pure live seed (PLS) per
acre)

Seeds per
Square
Foot

A rela vely new successful 18acre buer

(pictured) has been established by Jim and
Leslie Kellenberger in Sussex County. They
established 6500 feet of buer 120 feet
widearoundcropfieldswithrecentlyclear
cutforestsadjacenttothebuer.Thestand
has germinated and grown well and the
surroundinghabitatsupportsnotonlyquail,
butawidevarietyofothergrasslandbirds.
Wontyoujointhemintheireorts?
BlackeyedSusanandCoreopsisBobGlennon

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

Jus n Folks:PLWBNorthwestVAFieldOcecon nued...

IsawmorequailinTexasthanmanywillseeinalife meandIwasntac velylookingforthem(myresearch
wasactuallyondeer).Ialsosawwaymorehawks,coyotes,snakes,foxes,andotherpredatorstherethanIve
seenANYWHEREinVirginia.Whyarethehawksea ngallthequailinVirginia,butnotinTexas?(Ihopeyou
canpickupthesarcasmhere).Whiletherearemorehawks,etc.,inSouthTexasthanyoucouldshakea
s ckat,thequaildidntseemtomindbecausetheyhadallthecoverimaginableavailabletothemandwithin
easyreach.
SowhatdoesthishavetodowithquailinVirginia?Everything.TakegoodquailcoverinVirginiaandputit
nexttoquailcoverinTexasitlooksexactlythesame.Theplantspeciesmaychange,butthestructureis
iden cal.ThesemiaridnatureofSouthTexasmakesitthebrushcountrywhileittakesdisturbancetomake
brushcountryinVirginia.Itsassimpleasthat.
ThebiggestfactordeterminingquailabundanceinTexasisrainfall.Whentheresrain,therearebirdsevery
where.Whenitisdry,quailseemtoalmostdisappear.Asaconsequence,Texansdontreallyhaveasmuch
controlovertheirquailnumbers,butweVirginiansholdthefateofquailinourhandsbecausewehavethe
rain.
So,ifyouwanttoseemorequail,therearetwoop onsforyou:
(1) MovetoTexasandprayforrain,or...
(2) DosomethingaboutithereintheOldDominion.
Whichwillyouchoose?

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

Andy Rosenberger:PLWBSouthwestVAFieldOcecon nued...

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

Annual NBTC/NBCI Report

TheNa onalBobwhiteConserva onIni a ve(NBCI)hadabigyearfortheir
firstyearunderPi manRobertson(PR)funding.Asyoumayrecallfromlast
year,manyofthe25NBCIstatessteppeduptheirantewithregardstohelp
ingfundNBCIsta.Thispastfiscalyearwasthefirstofthreededicatedyears
of PR funding. A full report on NBCI ac vi es is available at their website:
h p://bringbackbobwhites.org/.Acoupleofnotablepoints,NBCIhirednew
Forestry,GrazingandGrasslands,Database,andAgriculturalPolicyCoordinators,SteveCampbellfromGeor
gia,JefHodgesfromMissouri,DerekEvansfromTennessee,andTomFranklinfromDC,respec vely.They
aretopnotchpeopleandaresuretoaccelerateNBCIsgainsthisyear.
A ertwoyearsastheNBCIManagementBoardChairman,VirginiaDepartmentofGameandInlandFisheries
DirectorBobDuncanwillbecomepastchairthisSeptember,andFloridaFishandWildlifeCommissionDirec
torNick WileywillassumetheChairmanship.DirectorDuncanledNBCIthroughapivotalmomentintheir
history.InAprilof2014 NBCIwasessen allyoutoffunding.WithChairman Duncans help,andhelpfrom
manyothers,theNBCIstatessteppedupandagreedtodosomethingunprecedented,jointlyfundingNBCI
stausingapor onoftheirFederalAidinWildlifeRestora onFunds(knownasPi manRobertsonfunds).
Thisrepresentedamajorparadigmshi andsignaledconfidenceinNBCIasaneec veen ty.Mr.Duncan
willlikelycon nuetoplayakeyrolewithNBCIandhisleadershiphasbeengreatlyappreciated.
The21stannualmee ngoftheNa onalBobwhiteTechnicalCommi eewashostedsuccessfullybytheNew
JerseyDepartmentofGameandFishthisAugust,inGalloway,NewJersey.Approximately100biologistsand
managersa ended.OurhatsareototheNewJerseystaandtheirpartnersformakingtheeventagood
one.Highlightsthisyearincludedinforma vepresenta onsonquailtransloca onfromDr.TheronTerhune
of Tall Timbers Research Sta on, including one ongoing project in New Jersey. And at this years banquet,
twonewen eswererecognizedasBobwhiteLegacyLandscapesTheRedHillsRegionofnorthFloridaand
south Georgia, and the Rolling Plains Region of north Texas and western Oklahoma. Group achievement
awards went to Tall Timbers Research Sta on and Land Conservancy and the Georgia DNR for their joint
workonquailtransloca on,andtheCenterforNa veGrasslandsManagementwasawardedfortheiryeo
mans eorts on behalf of bobwhites on working farms. John
Morgan, Kentucky Small Game Project Leader was presented
theannualleadershipawardforhisoutstandingeortsinlead
ing the development of NBCIs Coordinated Implementa on
Program.AndsixstatespresentedNBCIFirebirdAwards:Flori
da the Upland Ecosystem Restora on Project, Kentucky
ShakerVillage/PleasantHill,LouisianaChris anWinslowand
the Sandy Hill Burn team, Missouri Kyle Hedges and Frank
Loncarich, Tennessee Clint Borum Landowner Incen ve
ProgramBiologist,andVirginiaBobGlennonPrivateLands
WildlifeBiologist(GoBob!!).

JohnDoty

This year NBCI developed a proposal for considera on of the

steeringcommi eetobeginencouragingthedevelopmentofa
na onal Upland Gamebird Stamp modeled a er the federal
DuckStampwhichhasbeenprovidingfundsforwaterfowlcon
serva on since the 1930s. The steering commi ee voted to
moveforwardwithfindinganen tytotakeonthistask,orfind
otherinnova vewaystogainbe er,moreconsistentfunding
foruplandgamebirdconserva on.

14

Workshop Report: QRI/VWLQuailandPollinatorFieldDay

On September
11th, the Quail
Team
part
nered
with
Virginia Work
ing
Land
scapes,
the
Virginia De
partment of
Forestry, Pied
mont Environ
mental Coun
cil,J.W.Town
send,Inc.,and
NRCS to put
Charlo eLorick
onaQuailand
PollinatorHabitatFieldDayatthe FletcherandTidballproper esin Rappahannockand Madison coun es.
We had over 35 a endees on an absolutely gorgeous day and the event was a huge success. All of the
a endees were enthusias c and engaged as we discussed the overlap among quail, pollinators, and other
wildlife,andwhatittakestocreateandmaintaintheirhabitat.
AttheFletcherproperty,AmyJohnsonofVirginiaWorkingLandscapesdiscussedtheresultsoftheirbirdsur
veys,andhowtheconversionofcoolseasonsodtoquailhabitathasimpactedthebirdcommuni esusing
theproperty.Ispokeaboutthemanagementandcrea onofquailhabitat,andwelookedatexamplesof
3yearoldfieldsthathadbeendiskedversusthosethathadnotbeendisturbed,a2yearoldplan ng,anda
plan nginitsyearofestablishment.Wealsodiscussedthevalueinallowingana veseedbanktothriveby
solelykillingsodattheright me,ofwhich,Mr.Fletcherhasdonealotwithgreatresults.
Hos ngatAshlandFarminMadison,Mr.andMrs.Tidballgenerouslyprovidedlunchtoahungrycrowdand
thenthegroupsplitupandwenttoseparatehabitatsta onsacrossthefarm.Somepar cipantswentona
pollinatorwalkwithPLBDavidBryanandCeliaVuocolo,pollinatorspecialistwithVirginiaWorkingLand
scapes.Therestofthegrouplearnedabouttheestablishmentofshortleafpine,itsimportance,anditsbene
fittoquailandotherwildlifefromJackKauman,foresterwiththeVirginiaDepartmentofForestryandMarc
Pucke . The finalsta on waswithJ.W.Town
send,Inc.,whoestablishedthepollinatorfields
at the Tidball property. At this sta on,
a endeeslearnedaboutsomeofthechalleng
es with establishing na ve grasses and wild
flowers, and were introduced to the na ve
seeddrillonsite.
AhugeTHANKYOU!goesouttoMr.Fletcher
andMr.Tidballforhos ngtheevent!Without
all of our partners, this event also would not
have been possible. Please encourage your
neighbors to a end workshops such as these;
theyareveryinforma veandagreat mefor
all!

BillTidballHos ngCharlo eLorick

15

Habitat Management Tips from the Quail Team

Introduc on: Fornewlandowners,itso enin mida ngtoknowwheretostartwhenmanagingloblolly
pineplan ngs.Whetherlandwasrecentlyclearedandneedstobereplanted,orthepinesare15yearsold,
therearedierentdirec onslandownerscantaketoincorporatewildlifehabitat.ThefirstpointItrytoex
presstoalandownerregardingtheirpinestandistothinkhardabouttheirgoalsfortheproperty.Asaland
manager,youneedtodecidewhatismoreimportant,makingasmuchmoneyaspossibleoutoftheplanted
pines,orgivingupapercentageofthatincometocreateadequatequailhabitat.Putsimply,youcannothave
both.Youcan,however,strikeabalancethatallowsforwonderfulquailhabitatwhiles llmakingmoneyon
the pine stand. The following meline explains dierent decisions available to landowners to help them
strikeabalancebetweenmanagingpinesforbothincomeandwildlife.
Year 1:The Clearcut. Knownwidelyasaneyesore,decima onoftheland,aprac cethatmu latesthe
landscape,etcisactuallyanopportunitytocreatesomeofthebestearlysuccessionalhabitatforquail,rab
bits,deer,turkey,songbirds,andpollinators.Oncethe mberisharvested,thenutrientsthetreeswereusing
arefreedup,andsunlightnowhasfullaccesstotheground.Seedsnooneknewwereintheseedbankwill
germinateandflourish.Thisiswherethefirstdecisioninmanagingplantedpinesforwildlifeismade.Your
firstdecisionistodecideonhowmanypinesyouwanttoplantback.Ifyoureaimingformakingmoney,my
easiestansweristogowithwhatevertheforesterrecommends.Ifyouwanttomanageforwildlifehabitat,
aimlower.Chooseaplan ngdensityof10x10(436trees/ac)or12x12(303trees/acre).The10x10spac
ing s ll allows for pre y good profitability, the 12x12 spacing is if youre really wan ng to aim for quail.
Witheitherdensity,youwillhavefewertreestoharvest(solessincometobemade),butthelowernumber
oftreesperacreallowsfortheearlysuccessionalhabitatintheunderstorytolastlonger.Atahighplan ng
density,thetreecrownswillstarttoconnectandshadeouttheunderstoryin57yearsa erplan ng.That
meansthequailhabitatintheunderstoryisbeingoutcompetedasthetreesgetlargerandclosertogether.
Plan ngatalowerdensityallowsforearlysuccessionalhabitatintheunderstoryforamuchlongerperiodof
me.Asafinalconsidera on,con
sider not plan ng trees up against
all of the logging roads. Leave
somespacebetweentheroadsand
the tree plan ng to allow some
addi onal habitat and travel corri
dorsforwildlifetogrow.
Now that the plan ng density is
chosen, the next decision to make
iswhetherornotyou want tosite
prep the clearcut area prior to
plan ng. Site prepping the area
through prescribed fire or herbi
cide spray helps clear the land
scapeofdebris,thickets,andcom
pe on for the small pines. Ul
mately you will have healthier
pines by doing this because they
have less compe on, however it
does require that you erase good
habitat across the landscape. If
wildlife is the main goal and the
layoutofthelandallows,gowith

BasalAreaofapproximately7080sq /acrenotsogreatforquail!MarcPucke

16

Habitat Management Tips from the Quail Team con nued

...asiteprepburn.Burningwillputnutrientsbackintothesoilwhereherbicidewillnot.Ifyouchooseherbi
cideforsiteprep,youcanchoosetosprayselec veherbicidesthataremorena vegrassandlegumefriend
lysothatsomecompe onandspaceisfreedupforthepinesandsomehabitatremainsintheunderstory.
Undernormalsiteprep,Arsenal,EscortandOustareused.Notethatforeaseofexplana onweusetrade
namesinthisar cle,butwedonotendorsespecificproductsusethechemicalnamesimazapyr,metsulfu
ronmethylandsulfometuronmethyl,respec vely,whenpurchasingproducts.Inanycase,Arsenalcontrols
broadleaf woody plants and most na ve and nonna ve grasses and wildflowers, except legumes such as
partridgepea.Escortcontrolstoughwoodyplantsincludingmostlegumes.OustkillsthegrassesthatArsenal
doesnotkill.YoucanchoosetosprayArsenalalone,whichwillbefriendliertosomeofthehabitat.
Year 2: Release Spray. Eighteenmonthsa erthesiteprepiscompleteandthepinesareplanted,itis me
tolookatthelandscapeanddecideifyouneedtodoareleasespray.Releasespraysinvolvesprayingherbi
cidetoreleasethepinesfromcompe on.Ifyouremanagingforprofit,thismeanssprayingacombina on
ofthepreviouslydescribedchemicalsthatwillkilleverythingbutthepines.Ifyouremanagingforwildlife,
youcanchoosetonotdoareleasesprayatall,waitanaddi onalyeartoallowformoreherbaceousgrowth,
orlikewiththesiteprepspray,sprayonlyArsenalsothatsomehabitatisle behind.
Years 314: Enjoy!Oncethesitereleasesprayiscomplete,youcanenjoyqualityquailhabitatintheunder
storyofthepinestandforthenextfewyears.Then,asallforestsdo,thetreecanopieswillcloseandshade
outthehabitatintheunderstoryafewyearspriortothefirstthinning.Youcanchoosetheseyearstoman
ageloggingdecksandroadedgeswithperiodicdisturbancetomaintainsomehabitatonthepropertyasthe
pinestandtransi onsintomidsuccessionalhabitat.
Year 15: Thin.Itsge ngcloseto meforthefirstthinning.Inormallysuggestgoingwithwhateverafor
esterrecommendsforthefirstthinning.Theweakertreeswillberemoved,andusuallyhalfofthestandis
AndyRosenberger
thinnedout.Ifyouplantedoriginallyat435or303treesanacre,thiswillleaveyouaround150200treesper
acre. This is s ll too dense for quail habitat to establish in the understory, however it is a safe amount of
trees to remove all at once. If you thin extremely heavily, the trees le behind no longer have the buer
theyreusedtohavingtoprotectthemfromiceandwinddamage.Notonlywillremovingtoomanytreesat
once stress the ones le be
hind, you also risk losing a
higherpercentageoftreesto
theelements.
If trees were planted directly
uptotheloggingroads,clear
cut a row of trees on each
side of all the logging trails.
This prac ce is called road
dayligh ng. It helps the log
ging roads dry and opens up
the areas along the roads to
early successional habitat.
Briarsandshrubswillgrowin
theseareasandyoucanplant
na vewarmseasongrasses...

BasalAreaofapproximately40sq /acre,comingbackingreathabitatforquail!MarcPucke

17

Habitat Management Tips from the Quail Team con nued

intheroadsforaddi onalfoodandhabitat.Havingstripsofhabitatlikethisalongalloftheloggingroads
willserveastravelcorridorsforwildlifeaswell.
Year 16 or 17: Burn. Youwanttostartaprescribedfirerota on12yearsa erthefirstthinning.Thiswill
helpreducetheamountofdebrisontheforestfloor,increasingpHofthesoilandhelpingseedsintheseed
bank germinate.Whenit comestomanagingpines forquail,fireisyourbest tool.Ifyoudonotburn, un
wanted saplings will take over the understory and shade out beneficial grasses, wildflowers, and legumes
thatearlysuccessionalwildlifeneed.
Year 1924: Burn Again. Yes,burnagain.Andagain.Burnto1/3rdofthepropertyeverysingleyear.This
willhelpkeepthe hardwoodsaplingssuppressed,andburning onrota onwillallowfornumerousgrowth
stagesofhabitatforquail.Italsoallowswildlifeareastoescapetoasothersec onsarebeingburned.
Year 25: Second Thinning. Its meforthepinestobethinnedasecond me.Yourecurrentlysi ngat
around150200treesperacreandnowsthe metoreallystartcrea ngapinesavannah.Thisisalsothe
mewhereyourgoalsforwildlifeoreconomicsreallystarttoseparate.Tomanageforquail,youreaiming
for a pine savannah with about 4050 trees an acre with early successional habitat in the understory. This
meansleavingthebestpinesstandingandthinningeverythingelse.
Year 27 and on: Enjoy! Welcometoyourpinesavannah!Begintheburningrota onagainandenjoyallthe
wildlifethathavewonderfulearlysuccessionalhabitatintheunderstory.Youcanchoosetolettheundersto
rygofalloworyoucanbroadcastna vewarmseasongrassandwildflowerseeds.
Needlesstosay,therearealotofop onsavailablewhenmanagingamonocultureloblollystandforwildlife
habitat.Themaingoalistocreateasmuchearlysuccessionalhabitatintheunderstoryaspossibleforwild
lifetotakeadvantageof.Itisinevitablethattherewillbeyearswherethewildlifehabitatwillbeoutcompet
edbythepines,buttherearedecisionsalandownercanmakethatwillbenefitquail,deer,turkey,songbirds,
andpollinatorsinthelongterm.
Ifyouhaveapinestandthatyouwouldliketomanageforquailhabitat,contactyourPrivateLandsBiologist
andsetupanappointmentforasitevisit.YoucanfindyourlocalPLBonournewwebsite,www.vaquail.com.
SelecttheGetInvolvedbu on,thenPrivateLandsBiologists.

Ma aponiWMABurn2015DavidBryan

18

Bobwhite Bulle n Updates on Facebook

Thenewsle erversionofTheBobwhiteBulle nisonlyproducedonceayear,butyoucanstayuptodateon
newsfromtheQuailTeam,getquailmanagementandplantiden fica on ps,findlinkstoquailar cles,and
more on our new Facebook version of The Bobwhite Bulle n at www.facebook.com/
virginiabobwhitebulle n. If you are a Facebook member, please like us and encourage your family and
friendstodothesame.Onthepage,youcanpostcommentsandaskourbiologistsques ons.Ifyouarenot
aFacebookuser,thesiteiss llpublicandweencourageyoutocheckinrou nely.Currentlywehaveali le
over775likes,butweknowtherearewaymorefolksinterestedinVirginiasquail.Pleasecheckitout,show
thatyoucarebylikingandfollowingthesite,andsendtoallyourfriends.Weneedyoursupport!

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

Marc Pucke :TeamLeaderDGIFFarmvilleOce

A GREAT GROUP OF PEOPLE VIRGINIA IS LUCKY TO HAVE!
I amtryingtosithereandreflectbackontheyearinhumanterms.Trying
totakestockandputintowordssomanyintangiblethingsthatwedonot
report,somanythingsthatarehardtoputnumberson,andtryingtofig
ureouthowIreportonthehumanspirit.Yousee,wehaveateamofpeo
ple that are selfmo vated to do a great job. Our team of five private
landswildlifebiologistsrou nelychallengethemselvestolearnmoreand
improve our program. No one made anyone develop a Facebook page,
theytookthatuponthemselves.Noonerequiredthemtoredoourquail
webpage(www.vaquail.com),theysawtheneedanddidit.Noonemade
oneofthemtryradioadver singasanoutreachtool,buthedid.Noone
forced them to become plant iden fica on experts, or costshare pro
gramgurus;itwassimplyintheirDNAtostrivetobebe erandtohelp
each other along the way. That is what I would call a team. And all we
havedonetohelpisfosteranatmospherethatencouragesini a ve.We
havetriedtogivethemthetoolsandequipmenttheyneedtosucceed.Andwehavetriednottostandin
theirwaywhenideasdevelop.Wehaveencouragedeachoneofthemtoexcelintheareastheywishtoex
celin.
As me has passed, we have also started developing training opportuni es that go beyond the basics for
them.Thisyearourquailteam,alongwithseveralFt.Picke naturalresourcesstaspentnearlyanen re
dayinthefieldwithDr.TheronTerhuneGameBirdResearchProgramLeaderatTallTimbersResearchSta
on.TheronwasniceenoughtospendhourswithustouringthehabitatonFt.Picke andansweringques
onsandsharinghisknowledge.Itishardtoputapricetagonthatexperience.ThanksTheron!
We also spent a day with
VDGIFslong meforesterKent
Burtner.Kentwaskindenough
to drive down from Verona on
a very hot May a ernoon and
teachourteamallaboutcruis
ing mber.Fortheunini ated,
that does not mean driving a
log with wheels and power
steering.Cruising mberishow
foresters es mate the value
and volume of a mber stand.
It is cri cal to properly mar
ke ng a mber tract. Why is
this important to our quail
team? Most landowners we
workwithhave mberofsome
kindandourteamneedstobe
able to talk the talk and walk
thewalk.Itispartofcredibil
ity and being able to relate to
landowners.

LorienHuemoeller

20

Marc Pucke :TeamLeaderDGIFFarmvilleOcecon nued...

Ifyoushowuponapropertyandyoudontknowwhatboardfeetare,orhowtreesperacrerelatestobasal
area,thatlandownermaylookatyouandwonderifyoureallyknowanythingaboutquail,either.
TheteamalsospenttwodaysonaspeciallyarrangedtriptotheUniversityofTennessee,Knoxvilletovisit
withDr.PatKeyser,andhisteamattheCenterforNa veGrasslandsManagement.Dr.Keyserhasdoneaton
ofworkwithna vegrassesonworkinglandscapes.Howcanweintegrateca leandquail?Hisresearchis
showing that moderate levels of ca le grazing, even during the primary nes ng season, actually improves
na vegrassstandsforquailandsomesongbirds.Le totheirowndevices,manyna vegrassstandsbecome
toothickforbobwhites.Whatbe erwaytomanagethemthanamethodthatputspoundsonsteersatthe
same me?Ourteamisoutfrontonissueslikethese.
Wevealsosteppeduptoleadbyexampleatthena onallevel.Sevenofourteammemberspar cipatedin
the21stNa onalBobwhiteTechnicalCommi eemee nginGalloway,NewJerseythisAugust.Par cipatedis
thekeyword,weneversimplya end.FormanyyearsVirginiahasheldleadershipposi onsonthesteering
commi eeofNBTC.Thatcon nues.Thisyearoneofourteammemberssteppeduptobecomevicechairof
theOutreachCommi ee(tobecomechairintwoyears),andanothernowservesaschairoftheResearch
Commi ee and con nues to play a key role in the implementa on of NBCIs Coordinated Focal Area Pro
gram.Ihaveonemoreyearaspastchairandthatwillwrapupasixyeartermformethatbeganin2010.All
ourteammembersplayac verolesonNBTCcommi ees.AndteammemberBobGlennonwaspresented
theNBCIFirebirdAwardforVirginiathisyearforhisneverendingenergyinteachingandmentoringusall.
WhereamIgoingwithallthis?Notmuchfurther.Ihopethepointiswelltaken.YoucantcompareVirginias
habitatpoten altostateslikeTexas,Georgia,orFlorida.Thatdbeliketryingtocomparetastebetweena
Georgia Peach and a Virginia Honey Crisp apple. Virginia is Virginia and we are doing our best and always
strivingtoimprove.Weareproudofourteamandofwhatwehavedone.

PartridgePeaBobGlennon

21

Marc Pucke :TeamLeaderDGIFFarmvilleOce

Tofollowuponourleadin(pages34),thesearesomeofthethingsour
teamandpartnersaccomplishedoverthelastyear.Withoutourpart
ners,wedbenowhere.Iamhappytosaythata ergoingon7yearsof
thisQuailRecoveryIni a ve,ourpartnershipsaremorenumerousand
strongerthanever.Illsumupsomeofoureortsintheannualtable,but
hereareafewthingsthatwontfitintoatable.Ourteamandpartners:

Par cipatedinsevenprescribedfireswithmul agencyteams

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

Marc Pucke :TeamLeaderDGIFFarmvilleOcecon nued...

...team back in October 2013, (2) we presented an overview of our work to the Directors Quail Advisory
GroupinJuneof2014andgatheredtheirinput,(3)weconductedanoverviewandinput/brainstormingses
sion with the Virginia Quail Council which includes many DGIF employees, our private lands biologists and
manyofourpartnersinJulyof2014,(4)wesolicitedinputfromourQMAPandVirginiaQuail
Council partners via our email list serves, (5) we conducted an online survey of the Virginia Quail Council
members, and (6) we conducted another mee ng with the Directors Quail Advisory Group on September
16th,2014.Atthe meofpressweares llgatheringpublicinputandrefiningourplanforthenext5years.
Youcanrestassuredwehavelearnedalotandalwaysstrivetoimproveourprogrambutnoma erwhat
wedo,wecantdoitaloneeveryoneofyouneedstohelpus.

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

2015 (so far)

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.

23

24