Young birds

Quailnerd

Quailnerd

Well-known member
I’ve been out a few times this year and two things jump out, it’s improved slightly over last year and the few birds I’ve shot have been young. Even the blue quail I’ve found are the same. Great that we had a hatch but I’ve never seen this many young birds. Anyone else notice this?????
 
Killed two birds in NW OK opening weekend that were so young they hadn't even developed head color yet. Got out of that covey quick.
 
twoodrow12 said:
Killed two birds in NW OK opening weekend that were so young they hadn't even developed head color yet. Got out of that covey quick.
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I had the exact same thing happen to me two weeks ago in the Rolling Plains of Texas.
 
The lower bird in the picture is the one I was referring to.
 
Saw a covey today the size of sparrows, so small they didn’t even make a normal covey rise sound. Im not complaining by any means just wondering why Mother Nature was running late this year. Good problem to have I suppose!
 
Mother nature didn't run late. Quail will raise several broods a year. It could have very well been the 3rd brood they raised. If they are that small don't shoot them.
 
Obviously it’s not wise to shoot baby birds after the realization that goes without saying… I’ve personally seen more young birds on the average than years past, making me think 1st and 2nd attempts were unsuccessful or delayed.
 
Saw my first squail brood this week. There were about 10 and they were smaller than a sparrow. Probably 4 weeks old or so.
 
Prairie Drifter said:
Saw my first squail brood this week. There were about 10 and they were smaller than a sparrow. Probably 4 weeks old or so.
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I’ve been seeing a few myself, chick sizes vary from 3/4 grown to sparrow size. Have not seen a large brood yet, 6-10 has been the average… after the blistering summer it’s amazing to see chicks at all!
 
I totally agree. The weather this summer was exceptionally rough for reproduction. I am regularly amazed at how resilient the birds are. We are in a period of multiple pressures on our upland game species with weather, habitat loss, aggressive forestation, drought, parasites and more! I have run my roadside brood count 3 of the 4 times already and have yet to observe a brood in the 120 miles of viewing. As humans, we see time well in the short term and have trouble seeing it in the long term. Unfortunately, weather and climate both have effects on our gamebird populations. And right now, both are leaning toward more unfavorable conditions.
 
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I've seen the same thing in the west for chukar and California quail this year. I usually don't see that many birds that are that young this time of year. However, like others have said, it's a good problem to have.
 
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