Bobwhite quail initiative newsletter, Vol. 4 No. 7 (Summer 2003)

Bobwhite Quail Initiative Newsletter
Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division
Game Management Section
Summer 2003 Volume 4, Issue Number 7
Coordinator s Corner
This is the time of year that quail biologists and managers refer to as the "growing season". It is a time for hoping: 1) that management efforts are on target; 2) that adequate rain will fall to result in copious amounts of cover and food; and 3) that quail populations will respond to provide high densities for the coming hunting season. This also is a growing season for BQI. Wildlife Resources Division (WRD) Biologists are busy conducting compliance checks on last year's habitat practices, monitoring quail through incidental sightings, presenting programs and distributing information on quail management and hoping for strong program enrollment for the coming year.
This marks the beginning of BQI's fourth "growing season". During the past four years BQI has continued to undergo metamorphosis as WRD has made changes to best meet the biological needs for quail restoration, while hopefully maintaining practical applicability for integrating BQI with farming and forestry practices. These changes have facilitated substantial increases in program participation and have resulted in the development of significant amounts of habitat for quail, certain songbirds and other wildlife. For example, across the 17 BQI counties during the first year (2000) 24 BQI cooperators successfully established 90 miles of field borders, hedgerows and filter strips. However, the program was modified and by the end of 2002 there were 93 landowners cooperating who established 344 miles of habitat. As discussed in the previous BQI Newsletter (Volume 3, Issue 6) WRD implemented substantial changes at the beginning of the 2003 program enrollment period. These changes resulted in a landslide increase in program participation, with a current enrollment of 142 cooperators and the potential to have established over 400 miles of habitat and positively impacted more than 20,000 acres of quail habitat. In addition to the habitat established through financial incentives, BQI biologists have provided technical assistance to landowners of more than 370,000 acres.
As the program has grown, we have learned /confirmed many lessons. These include: 1) there continues to be strong public interest in restoring quail in Georgia; 2) quail populations still occur across Georgia's farmland but at very low numbers; 3) quality quail habitat and even moderate quail densities seldom occur by accident, but are a result of planned management; 4) economic incentives and biologically sound management plans are essential for restoring quail to the landscape; 5) landowner (BQI cooperator) compliance with BQI management prescriptions is high (85 percent full or partial compliance); 6) when sufficient quantities of habitat (see management note on page 2) are established quail populations and songbird use increases; and 7) on many sites Bermuda grass, bahia grass, fescue, serecia lespedeza and other exotic plants pose serious challenges for quail habitat restoration, but these plants can be controlled through the judicious use of appropriate herbicides.
The bottom line is that the key to increasing quail populations is the establishment of adequate amounts of suitable habitat across the landscape and BQI is making great strides in this regard. Let's all hope for another great "growing season"!
--Reggie Thackston, BQI Coordinator
BQI Summer 2003 Page 1

Habitat Fragmentation A serious problem for bobwhites and many other wildlife species
Seventh in a series on management techniques to improve habitat for quail

A common complaint voiced by land managers who are trying to restore or increase quail populations is that the same intensity of habitat management, which once resulted in high numbers of bobwhites, now yields little or no quail population response. Often this occurs on small tracts of land (less than 2,000 acres) that are located in landscapes that are in poor condition for quail. In short the landscape has gradually changed from a "sea" of quail habitat (i.e. grassland-forb habitat consisting of native grasses, weeds, briars and shrubs) to a fragmented landscape comprised of small and often widely separated "islands" or fragments of quail habitat. This process where a continuous habitat is divided into smaller and smaller pieces is referred to as habitat fragmentation, and it appears to be one of the most critical problems currently facing quail and many other wildlife species.
Habitat fragmentation is most prevalent and problematic for quail management and restoration in landscapes where closed canopy hardwoods and pines, exotic grass pastures, large agricultural fields and suburban sprawl have replaced the low intensity, but extensive, farming and forestry of the past. This results in: 1) loss of the original habitat; 2) reduction in size of the remaining habitat fragments; and 3) increased isolation of remaining habitats from other areas that support quail populations.
The impact of habitat fragmentation on wildlife populations is very complex and not yet fully understood. However, wildlife biologists are becoming increasingly convinced that it is a primary factor in the decline of quail, certain songbirds and a number of other wildlife species. As compared to populations on large (e.g. > 5,000 acres) blocks or regions of grassland-forb habitat, possible negative consequences of habitat fragmentation on bobwhites include: 1) increased predation; 2) reduced immigration of quail from surrounding lands; 3) reduced gene flow and genetic variability; 4) reduced covey numbers;

5) increased chances of local population extinction on specific fragments; 6) increased susceptibility to hunter harvest; and 7) diminished quail population response to habitat management.
Across fragmented landscapes habitat quality for bobwhites becomes a function of the size, abundance, and distribution of the remaining habitat fragments. Intuitively, a landscape comprised of large habitat fragments that are relatively close together should support higher quail densities than a landscape with small habitat fragments that are widely separated. Data collected in Georgia's Bobwhite Quail Initiative (BQI) appear to support this concept. In general, bobwhite occurrence is higher on large BQI fields and where the fields are close together than on small BQI fields that are widely separated.
The problems associated with habitat fragmentation can best be addressed through: 1) favoring the establishment and maintenance of large blocks of habitat or clusters of habitat fragments; 2) increasing the acreage of quail habitat by forming cooperatives with adjacent landowners who have similar land management objectives; 3) using grassland-forb corridors (e.g. power line rights of way, field borders, hedgerows etc.) to link established habitat areas; and 4) obtaining technical assistance from a professional wildlife biologist for the development of a management plan that when implemented will provide the best habitat quality possible on existing habitat fragments.
In summary, habitat fragmentation is a critical factor that should be considered when attempting to restore or increase quail populations. Unless the issue of habitat fragmentation is first addressed, quail populations on small properties located in highly fragmented landscapes may respond poorly or not at all to management practices.
--BQI Wildlife Biologists

BQI Summer 2003 Page 2

BQI Updates and Information

Georgia to begin implementing Northern Q. Are pecan groves eligible for the

Bobwhite Conservation Initiative

Bobwhite Quail Initiative?

The Northern Bobwhite Conservation A.

No. Although pecans are a commercial

Initiative (NBCI) is a range-wide recovery plan crop, pecan groves are not eligible for BQI financial

developed by quail biologists, researchers and incentives. In general, the management of a

land managers that sets habitat and quail commercial pecan grove is not compatible with

population recovery goals for each state. quail management. Commercial groves are

Georgia's NBCI goals cannot be accomplished frequently mowed and treated with herbicides to

without a collaborative team approach to land create an open and clean understory. While these

management statewide. The Wildlife Resources practices are necessary to control competition and

Division is convening a group of natural to facilitate harvesting of the pecans, they provide

resources professionals and others with a keen poor habitat conditions for quail. Only commercial

interest in wildlife habitat management to help row crop fields and pine stands associated with row

guide efforts in establishing and managing early crop fields are eligible for BQI incentives.

succession habitats for the benefit of bobwhite

-- Joy Bornhoeft, BQI Biologist

quail. The group will be called the Bobwhite

Quail Technical Committee.

Q. Do quail benefit from supplemental

feeding?

Questions & Answers

A. It depends. Supplemental feeding is not a

Q. Are coyotes the cause of the quail "silver bullet" and cannot take the place of

decline?

providing quality habitat. However, where suitable

habitat occurs supplemental feeding may increase

A. No. From four coyote food habit studies over-winter survival, body weights and

conducted in the Southeast (one each in reproduction in quail. Where supplemental feeding

Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Missouri), is being considered as a quail management

bobwhites made up less than two percent of practice, landowners should: 1) consult laws and

coyote's diets. Coyotes primarily consumed regulations to make sure that an illegal lure or

rodents (rats and mice), rabbits, deer, and fruit. attraction is not in use, commonly referred to as

Tall Timbers Research Station (in N. FL and S. baiting; 2) provide feed continuously throughout the

GA) reported that coyotes were responsible for year or at least from November to July; 3) provide

only four percent of all quail nests destroyed by feed throughout the property being managed for

predators. They felt that coyotes preyed on quail quail; and 4) provide feed only under protective

nests incidentally while searching for cotton rats. cover, for example blackberry or plum thickets.

Additionally, coyotes prey on and out compete

-- Reggie Thackston, BQI Coordinator

red foxes, which are considered to be a more

efficient predator of quail than coyotes. Based on

these considerations it is unlikely that coyotes

are significant predators on quail and are not the

cause of the quail decline. Coyotes may even benefit quail populations by controlling rodents, which may attract other more efficient quail predators.
-- Bobby Bond, BQI Biologist

To add someone to the BQI Newsletter mailing list, contact the Wildlife Resources Division,
BQI headquarters at 478-994-7583

BQI Summer 2003 Page 3

Farm Bill Update
2002 Farm Bill Programs - Now Available to Help Landowners

The 2002 Farm Bill was signed into law in April 2002, but it has taken until now for the conservation programs authorized by that legislation to be put into effect. Even now, many of the programs are in developmental stages and not currently available to private landowners. However, some programs are up and running, or very close to being operational, and it is a good time to review many of the possibilities for people interested in managing their farms for quail and other wildlife species.
Landowners signed up for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) from May 5th to June 13, 2003. CRP is designed to protect highly erodible cropland and improve water quality and wildlife habitats. Some of the more wildlife-beneficial plants and habitats that can be established using CRP include native warm season grasses, longleaf pine, hardwood trees and most native early succession forbs and wildflowers. CRP now will cost-share on prescribed mid-contract management practices such as burning, light disking, mowing and treating with herbicides. All of these aspects make CRP a great tool to help manage for quail and other wildlife on cropland. In addition, the continuous sign-up allows landowners to enroll small portions of their land in some high priority practices with incentive payments attached that will pay up to 90 percent of practice establishment cost with additional per acre bonus payments and increased maintenance payments.
Landowners currently can enroll in the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). EQIP provides additional points added to a landowner's application score during the ranking process and incentive payments for wildlife friendly practices such as forested riparian buffers, filter strips, field borders, upland wildlife habitat and conservation tillage. EQIP will direct

60% of funds toward livestock operations and also is committed to improving water and soil quality. Cost-share rates can be up to 75 percent with approval by the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Also, non-industrial private forestlands adjacent to agricultural lands are eligible.
The Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) also is available to landowners. WRP restores wetlands degraded by agriculture with Georgia's priority wetlands listed as Carolina Bays, Grady ponds, limesinks and cypress domes. Priority wetland types receive bonus points during the application ranking process. WRP will pay a landowner up to $1,000 per acre and 100 percent of restoration costs for a permanent easement. All land management decisions are retained by the landowner, but wetland functions cannot be altered once they are restored. Ten and 15-year easement options are available with reduced payments.
CRP, EQIP and WRP are the three programs currently available to private landowners in Georgia through the 2002 Farm Bill. Other programs that will be rolled out soon include Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) and Forest Land Enhancement Program (FLEP). For more information on these and other private lands programs you can contact the Wildlife Resources Division Private Lands Program at 770-761-1697.
--Mark Whitney, Private Lands Program Coordinator

For more information about the WRD Private Lands Programs, call 770-761-1697 or 229-420-1290

BQI Summer 2003 Page 4

BQI Monitoring and Research Update

Covey-call-count results and telemetry project.
We once again begin our update by saying thank you to all of the BQI Cooperators who have allowed us access to their properties to conduct BQI monitoring and research. In the fall of 2002, we completed our fourth year of fall covey-call-counts at a sample of BQI and nonBQI sites. As in years past there was considerable variation from one site to the next, but the results were again encouraging. Weather conditions this past fall were much more unfavorable for conducting covey-callcounts than in previous years. Nonetheless, we once again saw increased numbers of calling quail coveys at BQI survey points from 2001 to 2002. The average number of calling quail coveys at BQI survey points were also greater than non-BQI survey points. A sample of BQIenrolled Conservation Reserve ProgramLongleaf CPA fields also showed increased numbers of calling quail coveys at points surveyed 2001 to 2002. In fall 2002, BQI sites averaged close to 2.25 coveys per survey point while non-BQI sites averaged a little over 1.50 coveys per survey point. Once again, it seems that the bottom-line is that BQI habitat practices are consistently resulting in greater numbers of quail.
Like quail, many farmland songbird populations have also been declining. Our songbird survey results from the 1999-2001 monitoring seasons suggested immediate, positive responses by wintering songbirds to the establishment of BQI habitats. Use of BQI habitats by declining sparrow species (does not include house or English sparrows) increased dramatically (30%) from 1999 to 2000 and 2001. Several early successional habitat-dependent songbird species were only detected in the years after habitat was established, and overall diversity and number of individuals of songbird

species were greater in BQI fields than non-BQI fields.
Now in its second year, the radio-telemetry project is continuing on a portion of BQI and non-BQI sites in the Central Region (Laurens County area). Telemetry utilizes a small radio transmitter that emits a signal that can be tracked with a portable radio receiver. The radio transmitter is attached to the bird, and researchers are able to track the bird's movements. Quail trapping was much more difficult this year with the rainy winter and spring conditions. As of April 2003, 57 quail were radiomarked (27 around BQI sites and 30 around non-BQI sites) and being tracked by field personnel. Similar to last year, the sex ratio was about 50:50 with the majority of both sexes being juveniles. This study will provide vital information on quail habitat use, reproduction, survival rates, and movements over the landscape, which will facilitate fine tuning the application of practices in BQI.
Our results continue to indicate that BQI is producing critical habitat for a number of farmland wildlife species.
-- Rick Hamrick, Patrick Cook, Jeff Thompson, and John Carroll, UGA, Warnell School of Forest Resources

The BQI Monitoring and Research Program is managed by Dr. John Carroll, Assistant Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Management, University of Georgia, D.B. Warnell School of Forest Resources.
BQI Summer 2003 Page 5

116 Rum Creek Drive Forsyth, GA 31029

PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE
PAID MAIL SORT MACON 31201
Address service requested

Bobwhite Quail Initiative --

Restoring Habitat For the Birds

Southwest 601 Tallahassee Road Albany, GA 31707 229-420-1212 Colquitt, Crisp, Dougherty, Lee, Mitchell, Sumter, Terrell counties

Georgia Department of Natural Resources Lonice C. Barrett, Commissioner

Central River Bend WMA 1945 South Hwy. 199 East Dublin, GA 31027 478-296-6176 Bleckley, Dodge, Emanuel, Houston Laurens, Treutlen counties

East Di-Lane WMA 4854 Box D Herndon Road Waynesboro, GA 30830 706-554-3745 Bulloch, Burke, Jenkins, Screven counties
BQI Headquarters Rum Creek WMA 116 Rum Creek Drive Forsyth, GA 31029 478-994-7583

Wildlife Resources Division David J. Waller, Director
Funding for this publication provided by the Atlanta Metro Chapter of Quail Unlimited.