New Jersey Quail Project

[dogg57]

WESTVILLE — It’s hard to imagine stepping outside into silence, without a singing bird in the sky. But officials at the New Jersey Quail Project fear with the declining upland bird population, that scenario is not entirely outlandish.
“Going at the rate it’s going, that’s exactly what’s going to happen,” said Joe Matter, the founder of the New Jersey Quail Project, which provides suitable habitats for quail and other upland birds while educating the public about the species.

http://www.nj.com/gloucester-county/index.ssf/2011/08/gloucester_county_wheelabrator.html

 

[turtle]

I think the writer meant invasive weeds. I hope their project is successful. We tried once to release quail on our property and were apparently unsuccessful, as we never saw them afterwards. The turkeys are having a field day of it here though!

 

[GermanG]

One of the problems with releasing quail is that captive-bred birds, such as the ones stocked on state WMAs, are poorly suited for survival past hunting season. Their genetics are different from the native birds as well, and are often considered a detriment to local populations, through interbreeding and competition. Habitat loss and degradation gets most of the blame for the drastic drop in our quail numbers but many seem to think something else is going on as well. Numbers have dropped even in areas with good habitat and low hunting pressure. Everyone has a theory as to why, but there doesn’t seem to be a consensus on the cause. I think managing habitat by creating open areas amongst the pine uplands is a good thing anyway, even if the quail don’t successfully inhabit it. They aren’t the only native species that benefit from such management.

 

[manumuskin]

use to see and hear quail everywhere when I was kid now I never hear them but when I was a kid I never ever saw a turkey,now they run the neighborhood like tame chickens.We also didn't have coyotes back then neither.By the way haven't seen any grouse lately neither.
Al

 

[46er]

I think the writer meant invasive weeds. I hope their project is successful. We tried once to release quail on our property and were apparently unsuccessful, as we never saw them afterwards. The turkeys are having a field day of it here though!

When I was training my pup's for hunting, I ocasionally used some Quail near the end of their education. We still hear them back behind the house; a small population appears to be holding on in a conservation area back there.

Nowadays the biggest threat to Quail and birds in general, are the feral cats. The state should open a season on them.