Japanese Quail is favoured for farming I believe, which when singing sounds like our Quail but with a bit of a running nose. So I think we'd have a suspicion of escape/illegal release very quickly were it one of those!
I agree, Henry, the small amount of research I did a few years ago also confirmed that Japanese Quail is the favoured species kept by the majority of Quail Farms for the production of Quails eggs for the restaurant industry.
Henry Cook said
Fri Jun 17 10:22 AM, 2011
Japanese Quail is favoured for farming I believe, which when singing sounds like our Quail but with a bit of a running nose. So I think we'd have a suspicion of escape/illegal release very quickly were it one of those!
Steve Suttill said
Fri Jun 17 9:45 AM, 2011
It's not simply a question of deliberate releases, but Quail are bred on several farms in the county and birds have been known to escape. I would be suspicious of "wild" Quail in the Denshaw area, for example.
I'm casting no aspersions whatsoever on the mossland birds.
Steve
Doc Brewster said
Thu Jun 16 9:59 AM, 2011
Totally agree, Ian. We have both posted & agreed previously on this topic!! The influx of Quail and numerous sightings on the Greater Manchester Mosses fits in with the national picture perfectly. The times of arrival and the numbers mirror the reports coming in from all over the country. If you take a look at any of the info services then local reports of Quail which we don't see on the national channels clearly show that this has been a bumper Quail year. Lets be pleased that Greater Manchester & its mosslands seem to be a real Quail magnet
Ian McKerchar said
Thu Jun 16 12:30 AM, 2011
Quite right too Geoff
There is no reason to believe these birds are anything but wild and you're right to indelibly mark them on your list. In the few recent years where no sightings have occurred though, Pete Berry and I have always carried out our annual early June 'Quailing' on the mosses with the usual thoroughness. Fact is that some years they're just not present, probably due to population fluctuations, breeding successes elsewhere and such like Either way, our failure in these years is usually reflected nationally too
Geoff Hargreaves said
Wed Jun 15 11:20 PM, 2011
I was very 'happy' to say the least at adding Quail to my gm and life list and then intrigued when the subject of 'possible release' raised it,s head (again) so I set about reading my mottley collection of gm county reports rangeing from 1960 to present day somewhat incomplete but a clear enough picture emerges to convince me that history has indeed repeated itself and the current birds are following known habits/behaviour and may well have been 'overlooked' or moved a few fields in unrecorded years.
cheers geoff
Joe Wynn said
Mon Jun 13 5:05 PM, 2011
I've got a relative in Inverness whos getting them up on the cromarty firth for the first time.
pete berry said
Mon Jun 13 2:39 PM, 2011
Quail are long distance migrants,I get them regulary up here in S.W.Scotland,in fact I found a couple the other day.They do reach quite far north in invasion years,and although the drought down south might be a contributary factor this year,they are annual up here irrespective of weather conditions in the south of England.
Nick Isherwood said
Sun Jun 12 6:53 PM, 2011
Another point that may have been already mentioned elsewhere on the forum is that due to the low amounts of rainfall in the south the crops haven't done too well. The birds may have been forced to move further north to find suitable habitat.
Just a theory but it may be a factor.
Dennis atherton said
Sun Jun 12 6:20 PM, 2011
very interesting, makes sense,
i cant really comment on the recent Quail sighting as though i have been 3 times i still havent really seen one, just a fleeting glance but my conscience wont let me have it, heard the lovely call every time though
pete berry said
Sun Jun 12 3:12 PM, 2011
I noticed that some people were a bit concerned as to whether or not the recent number of Quail sightings are genuine wild birds.Most years the main arrival of Quail in the UK isn't till June. The reason for the lateness of their arrival is that these are birds(and/or their offspring)that have already bred in Spain/Portugal,and then have moved further north as the cereal crops in the UK become long enough for them to breed in.Whereas by now presumably in Spain they will already be harvesting due to their earlier spring.This way the birds can raise two broods,an early one in southern Europe and a later one in northern Europe.
I agree, Henry, the small amount of research I did a few years ago also confirmed that Japanese Quail is the favoured species kept by the majority of Quail Farms for the production of Quails eggs for the restaurant industry.
I'm casting no aspersions whatsoever on the mossland birds.
Steve
There is no reason to believe these birds are anything but wild and you're right to indelibly mark them on your list. In the few recent years where no sightings have occurred though, Pete Berry and I have always carried out our annual early June 'Quailing' on the mosses with the usual thoroughness. Fact is that some years they're just not present, probably due to population fluctuations, breeding successes elsewhere and such like
somewhat incomplete but a clear enough picture emerges to convince me that history has indeed repeated itself and the current birds are following known habits/behaviour
and may well have been 'overlooked' or moved a few fields in unrecorded years.
cheers geoff
Just a theory but it may be a factor.
i cant really comment on the recent Quail sighting as though i have been 3 times i still havent really seen one, just a fleeting glance but my conscience wont let me have it,
The reason for the lateness of their arrival is that these are birds(and/or their offspring)that have already bred in Spain/Portugal,and then have moved further north as the cereal crops in the UK become long enough for them to breed in.Whereas by now presumably in Spain they will already be harvesting due to their earlier spring.This way the birds can raise two broods,an early one in southern Europe and a later one in northern Europe.