HARRISBURG, Pa. – The Pennsylvania Game Commission believes it can restore Northern bobwhite quail to the state, and the agency wants to know what the public thinks about the idea.
During its July 24 meeting, the board of commissioners authorized the release of the draft Northern Bobwhite Quail Management Plan, opening it up for public comment. Quail are native to the state but they have been absent from the Pennsylvania landscape since the late 20th to early 21st century.
The plan calls for reintroducing bobwhite quail in suitable habitat at the Letterkenny Army Depot in Franklin County, with the goal of establishing a self-sustaining population. Executive Director Bryan Burhans said the reintroduction effort is expected to begin by spring of 2023 at the depot at a location to be known as the Bobwhite Quail Focus Area.
Translocation of quail will continue for a couple years until the target release number of 800 to 1,000 bobwhites is reached. A portion of the birds will be fitted with radio transmitters and monitored for survival and reproduction.
If the reintroduction of bobwhite quail is a success at Letterkenny, the agency hopes to expand the effort beyond the depot’s borders, according to Andrew Ward, PGC quail biologist.
“We want to create habitat for this population to expand onto nearby state game lands and private lands surrounding the site,” he said. “Beyond the public lands we work on, we want to work with private landowners in the area to manage for the early successional habitat that bobwhite and other grassland/shrubland species require.”
Increases in grassland songbirds and American woodcock have already been documented at Letterkenny, indicating that the habitat conditions are becoming more conducive to supporting a self-sustaining quail population.
Ward said that bobwhite quail habitat consists of four components: native warm season bunch and clump grasses for nesting; forbs and legumes for warm season cover and a food source; woody vegetation for protection from predators and the elements; and bare ground so chicks can navigate the landscape.
Prescribed fire is used to create and manage bobwhite habitat, he added, because it causes regeneration that is key to maintaining early successional habitat.
“Fire also increases insect abundance, the primary food source of bobwhite chicks,” Ward said. “Bobwhite are considered an umbrella species so many other grassland and shrublands species use components of bobwhite habitat to their benefit even if there isn’t a direct overlap in all habitat needs.”
Monitoring conducted for the quail reintroduction will also encompass other species sharing the habitat, but Ward cautioned it will take time to make observations, analyze data, and interpret results before the agency can determine any degree of success.
The draft plan and instructions on how to submit comments will be posted on the agency’s website in the near future. A summary of public comments received, and any changes made in response to the comments, will be included in the final version of the Northern Bobwhite Quail Management Plan, which is expected to be presented to the commissioners for approval at the board’s September meeting.
