Restoration company looks to reintroduce native quail species
(Published Sunday, June 10, 2007 10:08:18 PM CST)
A d v e r t i s e m e n t
By Stacy Vogel/Gazette Staff
MILTON TOWNSHIP-The day-old chicks were smaller than golf balls, so tiny that three or four could easily fit in your hand.
But a prairie restoration company has big dreams for these miniature birds.
Tallgrass Restoration introduced 100 northern bobwhite quail Saturday to its 220 acres of prairie at County N and Highway 59. Employees hope the quail will be the first of many arrivals to start the task of reintroducing this native species to the region.
Quail used to be plentiful in Wisconsin, but they started to decline about 50 years ago as their habitat disappeared to make way for urbanization and fenced-in farming, said Eric Terrill, Tallgrass Restoration wildlife manager.
Tallgrass CEO Peter Layton wants to reverse that trend. The company has released birds periodically in the past but often found them back at the barn where they were raised, he said.
These chicks will grow up in a "surrogator" in the middle of the grasslands. The green box offers a covered area with heat, food and water. After a week, Terrill will open the other half of the surrogator, which has a mesh ceiling to expose the chicks to the elements and an open floor to let them catch bugs for food.
After about five weeks, Terrill will release the chicks to the wild.
"They're already used to the sounds and smells of the animals," he said. "If you leave them in much longer than that, they start to lose their instincts."
Layton hopes to import two more groups of chicks this year. If the birds thrive, the company will help other farmers with restored grasslands introduce quail onto their habitats.
Although quail are popular birds for hunting, that's not the focus of the project, Layton said.
"We want to do what we can to reintroduce a native bird species," he said. "The prairie is meant for grassland birds."
Employees hope locals simply enjoy the animals when they return to their former glory, said project manager Chris Kaplan.
"Once you hear their call, you understand why people want them back," he said.
