Texas Wildlife Association presents...

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1 Texas Wildlife Association presents... March 2008 Kid s Quarterly Mini-Mag! Vol. 2 No. 1 Postcards from Nancy... By Sarah Stannard Dear TWA, Greetings from Albany, Texas! I am here visiting my friend, Quinn. We met at camp last summer and she told me that if I was ever in her neck of the woods, I should drop by so that is just what I did! Quinn and I had a sleepover last night. It was fun.but a little crowded. We slept in a big circle with her mom, dad, aunts, uncles, cousins, and even a few of her neighbors! call these sleep groups coveys and they are really strict about everyone following certain rules. Everyone slept with their tails toward the inner part of the circle and their heads facing outward so that we could all watch for predators and be ready to escape if need be. Quinn s oldest cousin, Bobby kept telling scary coyote stories and it freaked Quinn and me out! We were just about to fall asleep when Bobby made a coyote howling sound. Then Quinn screamed and took off flying all of a sudden! Everyone chuckled and I didn t know why. When she came back, boy were her feathers ever ruffled! BOBBY WHITE!, she yelled. Look what you did! You made me FLUSH.. AGAIN! Bobby just about busted his beak laughing after that. I thought flushing was just something you humans did after using the potty, but apparently that is what it is called when quail fly off all of a sudden. She was so embarrassed that I kept watching to see if her golden brown cheek feathers were going to turn red! Today we just spent the afternoon loafing around as Quinn would say. We snacked and walked and walked and snacked and every so often, Quinn would start smoothing out her feathers with her beak. That girl sure is prissy! She said preening was necessary to keep her feathers flight ready and free of bugs but just between you and me I think she overdoes it a little. Watching her do all that primping made me glad to be a low maintenance armadillo. My armor is just wash and wear and it keeps me a whole lot safer than those fluffy feathers! Well, I had better run for now. I m sleeping over one more night and Quinn s mom is hollering for us to covey up. Hope to see you all soon! Take care! Your friend, Nancy Nine-band Critter Connections is made possible by a grant from the San Antonio Livestock Exposition.

2 TEXAS BRIGADES What is Texas Brigades? The Texas Brigades is a wildlife education and leadership development program. Each camp is 4 ½ days. The camps are designed to teach life skills and increase knowledge of wildlife and habitat management. It is a fun, intensive, hands-on experience! Who puts on these camps? The Texas Brigades is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization. The camps are put together by a dedicated group of volunteers from various government agencies, non-profit organizations, & businesses, and individuals interested in teaching youth about the great outdoors. Funding for the Brigades is provided by many donations and grants from businesses, foundations, organizations, and individuals. Why should I go? You will learn a lot about wildlife and wildlife management, as well as develop your leadership, teambuilding, and communication skills. This camp will help you no matter where life takes you. Where are the camps held? These camps are held on private ranches. All of the facilities are set up for large groups & are very comfortable. Check out our website for exact locations! What will I learn? Everything you ever wanted to know about quail, deer, bass, and turkey! You will study anatomy, botany, habitat management, population dynamics, conservation, biology, and a whole lot more. In addition to a heaping dose of ecology, there are lessons on photography, entomology, art, firearm safety, leadership, communication, and team-building. You will have the opportunity to learn from some of Texas leading wildlife and natural resource experts. Dates for 2008 Rolling Plains Bobwhite - June South Texas Bobwhite - June Bass Brigade - July 7-11 South Texas Buckskin - July North Texas Buckskin - July Feathered Forces - July Who is eligible? Anyone with an interest in the outdoors and is years of age is eligible to apply. This is a coed camp. The application deadline is April 1st, so call or us today to get an application. Check out For more information, contact: Helen Holdsworth, Executive Director TEX-WILD or Fax: h_holdsworth@texas-wildlife.org 2

3 word searches... puzzles...mazes...oh my! go ahead... Word Find BOBWHITE BROOD COVEY CREST GAMBELS HABITAT T L Q O P L Q E O V E P Y K T W V E O J Q I P S A T X E Q D J D E T N U H A Y M I Z V O N D G F O H J D Y U N H S O S P M U N B O G K C S Q W R C S R E R O V I B R E H S B D N O M P R A G C A C P C T O R T U N G W K N A T M A L D B A Y H G C G D B I M L U K U D I D A P M I V V Q E B J Z E M A U B A S T O R D J C E R E Q E A I N F R U I R V Y P L F T M G T F E I N C U B A T E S Y N P A Y C R E S T I J H K V R J O T I P V O A X B V Z G N Z V V M O HERBIVORE HUNTED INCUBATE INSECTIVORE MONTEZUMA PLUME PREDATOR QUAIL SCALED give it a try! Youth Sponsored New Members Contest! Sign up new TWA members and win great prizes! The contest runs from January 1, 2008 to June 30, For more contest details, contact TWA at TEX-WILD. Prizes will be awarded during the Saturday night banquet at WildLife 2008 Dollars Dynamo -- The Youth member who is responsible for generating the most membership dollars by sponsoring NEW members (all levels). Numbers Champ -- The Youth member who is responsible for generating the most NEW members (all levels). Random Champ -- Any Youth member who recruits a single NEW member (all levels). Prizes Dollars Dynamo and Numbers Champ will each have their choice of one of the Following Prizes: 1. A gift certificate valued at $100 to your choice of one of these awesome outfitters: Bass Pro Shops, Academy Sports & Outdoors, or Cabela s! Here you can purchase all of the hunting, fishing, outdoor gear and clothing you could ever dream of. Gift certificates may be used for online purchases. 2. Two Season Pass Tickets for one adult and one child to your choice of one of the following theme parks: SeaWorld San Antonio, Six Flags Fiesta Texas (San Antonio), Schlitterbahn Waterpark (New Braunfels), Six Flags Over Texas (Arlington), Six Flags SplashTown (Houston). 3. A Texas State Park Pass valid for 12 months. You and your guests can enjoy unlimited visits to more than 115 state parks and state historic sites without paying the daily entrance fee. You may bring as many guests as can ride in one non-commercial vehicle with you. Members also receive exciting members only discounts on camping, lodging, park store merchandise and recreational equipment rentals and are eligible for special promotions like waived activity fees, free programs, and a special subscription rate for the Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine. Random Champ will receive a TWA t-shirt and baseball cap. (Members will NOT receive contest credit for recruiting themselves. Upgraded members will NOT count toward the New Members Contest.) 3

4 c r i t t e r Tales! Article by Kassi Scheffer There are six species of quail found in North America and four of these can be found in Texas! They are the Northern Bobwhite, Scaled, Gambel s, and Montezuma. are herbivores and insectivores, meaning they eat plants and insects. Leaves, grasses, seeds, fruit, cacti, and flowers are some of the plants they eat. Some use their toes to dig in the ground, pulling up plants and searching for insects. build their nest on the ground in areas of low shrubs or grasses; this helps shelter the nest and keeps their location hidden. are fairly small birds ranging from 8-11 inches in height. They are capable of flying but would rather walk or run on the ground; when they do fly it is for short distances. In addition to not flying often, quail also don t like to travel long distances. are non-migratory birds, which means they stay in one area year round even when the weather changes., with the exception of the Montezuma, form in groups, called coveys, for protection from predators. While in their coveys, the quail form a circle with their bodies touching and their heads facing outwards so they can be on the lookout. Predators of quail are hawks, owls, coyotes, bobcats, skunks, raccoons, and snakes. corner Along with predators, the weather greatly affects the life of the quail. In years of little rain or too much rain quail do not mate and their population decreases. Usually quail have 1 or 2 broods, meaning they lay eggs 1 or 2 times a year. Each brood consists of 6-16 eggs, which are incubated from days, depending on the species. chicks take their first flight days after hatching. populations are decreasing in some areas of Texas where the habitat is being altered. But, landowners may use different management tools to establish or better the habitat for quail. need ground covering brush to hide in, bunchgrasses to nest in, and some open space to feed. Scaled and Gambel s quail get some of their water from ponds or troughs, but Bobwhite get their water from the insects and plants they eat. are a game bird species, hunted only at certain times of the year, except for the Montezuma quail, which is not hunted. Landowners that have quail hunts on their land work very hard to maintain the quail habitat. Hunting has little effect on quail populations. They are more affected by predators, weather and habitat. MAP KEY Light Green = historic distribution Red = Current Distribution Orange = Distribution overlap with other quail species Scaled Callipepla squamata All Photos this page courtesy of Dick Wilberforce Montezuma Distribution Historic (pre-1950) Scaled Distribution Gambel s Distribution Current (post-1950) Northern Bobwhite Distribution Gambel s Callipepla gambelii Northern Bobwhite Colinus virginianus Montezuma Cytonyx montezumae

5 Photos Courtesy of Texas Brigades QUAIL FACTS Did you know that......the Bobwhite gets their name from the call the male makes? Try whistling the name Bob-WHITE and you ve made a sound similar to that of the Bobwhite....the Scaled quail is also known as the cotton-top and blue quail? These names come from the way they look....gambel s quail (male) are easy to recognize because of the black feather on top of their head? The feather on top of their head is called a plume....gambel s quail (male) are actually omnivores AND insectivores? Gambel s are different from all the other quail in Texas; they eat small reptiles in addition to plants and insects!...the Montezuma quail is also known as the crazy quail? Look at their picture in the article and you ll see why!...the Montezuma quail is endangered in the United States? It has been on the endangered species list since 1976! Color Me... Gambel s 6 Photo courtesy of Dick Wilberforce

6 Bacon Wrapped Materials Needed: 8 quail, dressed 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 8 bacon slices 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted As always, consult a parent before making anything in the kitchen! Steps to prepare quail: 1. Sprinkle quail with salt and pepper, and wrap with bacon slices. 2. Place, breast side down, in a roasting pan. Brush with melted butter. 3. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes; reduce heat to 325, and bake, covered, 40 to 45 minutes or until done. 4. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Yields 8 servings. Kids Sp Questionnaire 1. What is your full name? Sidney Perdue 2. What city/town do you live in? Granbury, Texas 3. How old are you? 6 4. What grade are you in? 1st Grade 5. What is your favorite school subject? Art and painting 6. What is your least favorite school subject? P.E. 7. What are some of your hobbies? Hunting, riding horses 8. What is your favorite outdoor activity? Riding 4-wheelers and sitting in deer blinds watching wildlife 9. What do you want to be when you grow up? Horse Trainer 10. Who is your hero? Dad 11. If you were granted one wish, what would you wish for? To hunt with Dad forever. 12. Describe yourself in three words. Good, Happy, Caring 13. What is the best way for kids to get involved with the outdoors? Going hunting and hiking. 7 tlight Sidney Perdue, daughter of Kim and Tye Perdue of Granbury, Texas.

7 th 60 anniversary