birding-aus

Buff-breasted Button-quail search 11-13/12/11

To: "Carl Billingham" <>, "Birding Aus" <>
Subject: Buff-breasted Button-quail search 11-13/12/11
From: "Keith Brandwood" <>
Date: Wed, 21 Dec 2011 15:05:47 +1100
Hi birdo's where are the ethics in all this searching for the BBB Quail. It is the middle of the breeding season and here we have a number of people trampling around in a paddock for a number of days flushing quail. I wonder how many eggs/nests we trampled.Some years ago I alerted Sydney birders to a paddock where Red Backed, Red Chested, King,Painted, Brown and Stubble Quail were. I felt quiet ashamed on returning to the paddock some weeks later to see it flattened by all the feet that had trampled the area. I have to admit that I was also guilty of some of the trampling taking birders back there on a number of occasions. After seeing the destruction we caused I realized what a selfish unthinking act we had committed,I don't know how many nest we would have damaged but certainly some.I decided from that day on I would never be the cause of such destruction again. There is a better way as from my experience King,Painted,Brown and Stubble quail respond to play back readily. I have no experience with the BBBQ or the other species but would be confident they also respond.The great advantage of play back is by drawing the quail into view gives you a much better chance of seeing them than trampling their habitat trying to flushing them.However please be responsible when using playback, use it in short burst and turn it off when the bird appears, this will cause the minimum harm as over use as been shown to upset nesting birds.
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