(Quail populations are down by over 80% since the 1960s. Some have given up all hope of their return, but others are taking action, as described below.)
By Marie Majarov
Landowners and neighbors in rural western Frederick County dearly missed the once-frequent “bob-WHITE” whistle and coveys of northern bobwhite, our native Virginia quail scurrying across their fields. Deeply aware that our Commonwealth’s quail population has suffered a steep decline, they knew that few young people had ever heard their distinctive spring call or the thunderous sound of a large covey erupting from a field edge in a fall hunt. Also, that robust quail habitat supports an entire suite of pollinator, bird, and mammal species, many also in decline. With their properties protected by conservation easements, they decided it was time to act. And indeed, they have, by creating a magnificent newly planted corridor of native warm season grasses and blooming pollinator forbs spanning their adjoining properties.
This project began two years ago for this diverse group of friends and neighbors who collectively own more than 600 acres.
The Virginia Quail Recovery Initiative (QRI) with their Private Land Biologists provided a starting point. QRI’s mission is to educate the public on the importance of quality early successional habitat for bobwhites, and other wildlife species, just what these neighbors were envisioning. They also provide technical and financial assistance to landowners to create and maintain this critical habitat on their properties for the benefit of wildlife.
In August 2019, Justin Folks, then a QRI Private Lands Biologist and now a DWR Wildlife Biologist who continues his interest in this project, met with the neighbors, assessed their properties, and drew up a detailed step-by-step approach for implementing their wildlife corridor concept.
Quail require good forage, ground nesting, brood rearing, escape, and winter protection habitat with appropriate cover and water sources, preferably in corridors. Unlike isolated stands of habitat, corridors link areas providing safe access to a variety of resources, and over time will increase biodiversity. These elements were key points considered in the neighbors’ plan.
Extensive carefully formulated brush management and herbaceous weed treatment was needed along with a winter cover crop to protect the hard pre-planting work of 2019-2020 from soil erosion and weed encroachment during the 2020-21 winter.
With a comprehensive plan finalized, Folks initiated the process for financial and further technical assistance which NCRS regularly makes available to farmers “so they may voluntarily put conservation on the ground, benefiting both the environment and agriculture operations.” Brent Barriteau, NRCS District Conservationist for the Frederick County area, joined with Folks in supervising the project during the process of preparation, planting, seed growth, and prescribing corridor maintenance.
This project is “unique,” Barriteau explained, “because it is a group of landowner and neighbors willing to work together across their connected properties.” The neighbors strongly believed that in doing this project, too much time, effort, and money was involved not to do it correctly and effectively. They understood the importance of corridors and that a successful outcome would require strong control of competition weeds and invasive brush, properly prepared soil for good seed-to-soil contact, and not planting the seeds too deep.
A seed mix recommended by Folks, containing native warm season grasses, little bluestem and Indiangrass, and 12 perennial pollinator-friendly forbs including coreopsis, yarrow, black-eyed susans, monarda, coneflowers, partridge peas, white prairie clover, bidens and asters, was planted along with a companion planting of annual oats, a nurse crop of to reduce the incidence of weeds, prevent soil erosion, and shade the young seedlings during the first year of growth. Within two weeks the oats were well up and little forb seedlings were breaking the surface.
Early morning on July 20, a series of texts and cheers flew between the neighbors: the small partridge pea plants were blooming and being visited by bees! It was a welcome harbinger of an excellent outcome.