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Fw: MD OSPREY -- QUAIL

From:

"George M. Jett"

Reply-To:

George M. Jett

Date:

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 19:19:10 -0400

Folks

This note in its entirety was sent to me by a "viewer" of MDOsprey who is not on the listserve.  He asked me to post it.  It is below.  I take no responsibility for its content, and do not want to answer questions about it.  Send any comments you have directly to the creator of the message.  See the From: address.

George

----- Original Message ----- 
From: M Loovis 
To:  
Sent: Monday, September 29, 2008 5:44 PM
Subject: MD OSPREY -- QUAIL


George,

I am a Baltimore birder that has long enjoyed MD OSPREY.  Usually I feel no need to post on the system but I still enjoy reading the reports.  I did try to subscribe today, but the system rejected me due to it reaching its capacity.  If you could please, pass this email on to Lance, or post in on the system:

I would like to add to the dilemma that was posed by Lance Biechele.   The Bobwhite quail is one of the birds I have struggled to understand its population decline also.  Now, I am no genius, but I know that prior to the 1600s, most of the east was covered by "Old Growth Forests".  There are estimates that the Ivory Billed Woodpeckers range extended north to the mid Atlantic.  Now I can't vouch for this, of course, but I wonder  if historically the Bobwhite quail was ever numerous?  Did it just have a "population boom" along with meadowlarks and other like birds during the clearing of the forests to farm land during the 17th and 18th centuries?   

On another note, I do know that many game-bird farms purposely stock the countryside with various species for people to shoot, with the Bobwhite often being one of them.  It does well in captivity and I have even seen it on display in California on the property of Cline Wineries in a cage that was next to other cages containing Chukar and other Pheasants.  It seemed they were not stressed under the conditions.  Maybe  these releases have a local effect on certain populations and that some are even farm raised turned wild.  

Another question:

What are the regulations on Mourning Dove hunting in MD?  I have seen signs posted at Myrtle Grove in Charles County (George, maybe you know what I am talking about) that permit it.  I have never seen anyone shoot doves and I don't know how popular it is among hunters.   But if people do participate in dove hunting, I wonder, did we learn any lessons with the demise of the Passenger Pigeon? 

 Just some food for thought,

Mike Loovis
Baltimore, MD