Teal Posted July 4, 2019 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2019 Thanks @JDog! We would be fairly heavy clay lowlands here. I spoke to a couple of neighbouring farmers and they thought I had been smoking something when I said I'd seen a quail! I'm doing a bit of research on them now, would be fab if there is a pair. Extra incentive to stay on top of the corvids and foxes. I guess he could be moving through but he's not moved far in the last couple of days so hopefully he likes what he sees here and has a mate. If any more news I'll update, or with any other bird ID queries! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted July 4, 2019 Report Share Posted July 4, 2019 7 minutes ago, Teal said: Thanks @JDog! We would be fairly heavy clay lowlands here. I spoke to a couple of neighbouring farmers and they thought I had been smoking something when I said I'd seen a quail! I'm doing a bit of research on them now, would be fab if there is a pair. Extra incentive to stay on top of the corvids and foxes. I guess he could be moving through but he's not moved far in the last couple of days so hopefully he likes what he sees here and has a mate. If any more news I'll update, or with any other bird ID queries! Can you believe that a bird like that which can barely fly 50m when flushed actually migrates from Spain and France to get here? They usually follow the chalky land of Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and Wiltshire in the south or go the Essex, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire Wolds on the east side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walker570 Posted July 4, 2019 Report Share Posted July 4, 2019 Good piece on NATURE NOTES back page of todays Telegraph. Report there how the release of game birds on shooting estates benefits all wildlife including buzzards as if we did not already know. Still good to see a supportive piece though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twenty Posted July 4, 2019 Report Share Posted July 4, 2019 One or two Quail spotted/heard up on the Cotswolds recently, In areas where they regularly re occur on a yearly basis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teal Posted July 4, 2019 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2019 34 minutes ago, JDog said: Can you believe that a bird like that which can barely fly 50m when flushed actually migrates from Spain and France to get here? They usually follow the chalky land of Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and Wiltshire in the south or go the Essex, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire Wolds on the east side. No I can't really! How it gets accross the channel I don't know, they are such dumpy things! I guess the jack snipe is similar heroic migrant, but with jacks I kind of feel they have some booster packs in reserve but with a quail, I'm at a loss! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
islandgun Posted July 4, 2019 Report Share Posted July 4, 2019 Perhaps they climb high in France and use a following wind and thermals to land fall in the east of England. I wonder if they ever cross with the Japanese farmed escapees. I ask because i came across this little chap outside my shed last summer and my first thought was corncrake [another stumpy long distance flyer] then it quickly dawned on me it was an escapee.very cute and happy to feed at my feet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NatureBoy Posted July 4, 2019 Report Share Posted July 4, 2019 2 turned up in Suffolk. Maybe it just one of them years! It the same with corncrakes making big journeys. Along with the recent discovery at bat migrations to and from Europe. NB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted July 4, 2019 Report Share Posted July 4, 2019 1 hour ago, twenty said: One or two Quail spotted/heard up on the Cotswolds recently, In areas where they regularly re occur on a yearly basis. I spent many evenings at the top of the Cotswolds in good quail years to no avail. One evening I met a chap from Minchinhampton doing the same thing and he told me that he had heard quail calling as they flew over his garden in the dark a few days earlier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mice! Posted July 4, 2019 Report Share Posted July 4, 2019 Never seen or heard a Quail, is it possible it's escaped from somewhere? Were you looking for it when you spotted it or was it just suddenly there? Great spot though, always good when you see something new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twenty Posted July 5, 2019 Report Share Posted July 5, 2019 (edited) 11 hours ago, JDog said: I spent many evenings at the top of the Cotswolds in good quail years to no avail. One evening I met a chap from Minchinhampton doing the same thing and he told me that he had heard quail calling as they flew over his garden in the dark a few days earlier. Latest sightings in Gloucestershire, Two Quail calling at Leighterton on 22nd June, One Quail flushed at Fretherne on 26th June. A Glossy Ibis today at Coombe Hill Meadows, Glos,............a bird of Africa and Asia..........Although a pair attempted to breed in Lincolnshire in 2014 Edited July 5, 2019 by twenty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teal Posted July 8, 2019 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2019 On 04/07/2019 at 20:46, Mice! said: Never seen or heard a Quail, is it possible it's escaped from somewhere? Were you looking for it when you spotted it or was it just suddenly there? Great spot though, always good when you see something new. It's possible it was an escapee, but I wouldn't know from where. When I spoke to local ornithological society they weren't unduly surprised, but said it was a great spot. I wasn't looking for it, was just walking down track to check on sheep and a little bird burst up from my feet calling as it went. Instant thought was young partridge, but I had a good chance to view it as it flew, it had a striped back and I've seen them before in France. The society described them as an "eruptive migrant", and said this seems to be a good year for them, as they are getting quite a few sightings by their members. http://www.wiltshirebirds.co.uk/sightings/recent-sightings/6314-6th-july-2019.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mice! Posted July 8, 2019 Report Share Posted July 8, 2019 3 hours ago, Teal said: wasn't looking for it, was just walking down track to check on sheep and a little bird burst up from my feet calling as it went. Instant thought was young partridge, but I had a good chance to view it as it flew, it had a striped back and I've Cheer's, always the way things pop up when your not expecting them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twenty Posted July 8, 2019 Report Share Posted July 8, 2019 Five separate Quail sightings/callings over the weekend along the Cotswold escarpment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mice! Posted July 9, 2019 Report Share Posted July 9, 2019 heard the blackbirds going nuts tonight so i went looking for the owls, one flew over me, then started calling again. finally spotted a youngster, quite low down brilliantly disguised, it seemed to be watching me as much as i was it, then it flew closer..... not very good but then closer... now that's much better, it was really curious about me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teal Posted July 11, 2020 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2020 Great owl photo @Mice! Not sure why I didn't post at the time... Anyway bumping this topic up as today pulling ragwort from my hay field and what should I flush but a quail! Watched it for 200m before it pitched in on far side of the field. Checking the dates on this topic it's almost exactly the same. I've not heard any calling, but in fairness the field is a half mile so I've not been there in the evenings. The issue I have is, I presume if nesting it'll be in the field, and it's 24 acres. With the forecast at the minute I need to cut the grass for hay end of the week. I just can't justify not cutting it. So I'm hoping it won't have set up nest yet - or will be just passing through. Unless anyone has bright ideas. Don't like the idea of chopping the nest if its there. Typical it's the only field I'm taking a hay cut off this year!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted July 11, 2020 Report Share Posted July 11, 2020 By this time the chicks (if any) will have fledged. However they may still be in the field. My recommendation is to run a line of dogs through the field before the grass is cut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mice! Posted July 12, 2020 Report Share Posted July 12, 2020 12 hours ago, Teal said: Great owl photo @Mice! Not sure why I didn't post at the time Cheers Teal, think it was lucky, I've tried taking other pics at night and just got blackness or a blurr. We were out walking yesterday and the fields had been cut, and being cut, we put up a pair of partridge which were nice to see but also we saw a lot of Hares which was really nice, we wouldn't have seen most of them if the fields hadn't been cut, first time my kids have seen Hares. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teal Posted July 13, 2020 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2020 On 11/07/2020 at 21:33, JDog said: By this time the chicks (if any) will have fledged. However they may still be in the field. My recommendation is to run a line of dogs through the field before the grass is cut. That's a very good idea. Will give it a shot, at least will have done something. Good news that they will be fledged. I'll report back if any flushed! Hopefully push any leverets out also. My neighbours mower isn't so fast, but it is front mounted and offset - so has a far wider width than you'd think which would catch things out. Last year it got a cat and a magpie in the same field. And judging by the bird activity I suspect a lot of small mammals. Yes @Mice! we have a better number of hares this year - a couple of years back there were as scarce as I've known them, due to long-dogs. Although I'd never caught them on my farm, have seen them on neighbouring, and police attended a few times. This year the neighbour has maize growing so they won't get a chance to run them. Natural England say we are just in Grey Partridge country, but I've never seen or known anyone who has. We do have a mountain of foxes this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teal Posted July 30, 2020 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2020 Forgot to update. So... ran a rake of dogs through the field, and walked it out as best could. Nothing flushed at all, mowers then came in as we were finishing. Guessing whatever was in their either juked down or hopefully moved on ahead and into the hedges. Saw a few pheasants come out once the field was cut. Also shot 3 foxes on it. Just got they hay in the barn in time with the weather breaking the following evening. Fairly average yield of hay, but good quality for the time of year, with the May drought the sward was a lot younger than you'd expect for the time of year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted July 30, 2020 Report Share Posted July 30, 2020 Teal, I forgot to say in my previous post that young quail can fly at a few days old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teal Posted July 30, 2020 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2020 6 hours ago, JDog said: Teal, I forgot to say in my previous post that young quail can fly at a few days old. That's very impressive indeed, I didn't know that. Sounds as though any youngsters would have had a chance. Have seen some young pheasants I've seen a few times at about 3-4 weeks age, always amazes me how "wild" (I'm sure the hens here are released) pheasants despite being small feather up and fly from such a young age. The reared brethren are fairly useless in comparison! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redial Posted July 30, 2020 Report Share Posted July 30, 2020 The poor old cock Linnet was often kept as a cage bird back in the day, for it's song. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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