How lucky, catherinet! I've only seen a bobwhite once - such a beautiful bird.

Claire

That's a nice bird- thx for posting!

Very nice! I have never seen one.

I've heard them alot before, but this is the first time I got really close. Here's a slightly closer picture.

Nice find!

we have a covey of them at our farm. In early summer, they are such a joy to have around with all of their calls. Efforts are being made to help them come back, but it's been difficult. Farmers can sign up for the quail program, which will have them leave a strip of land untilled for the year to provide them w/cover and nesting areas. One of the biggest problems though is the increase of predators--especially raptors, foxes, coons, and coyotes.

They are so pretty. Great pic.

brook, I used to hear them here all the time, but then several years went by and I heard nothing. Then last year I heard them once or twice. Funny you mention predators.......as I was following one, trying to get its picture, a hawk flew overhead. :(
I quickly left the Bobwhite alone.
I live in central Indiana. Isn't it strange to find 3 of them now, with a foot of snow on the ground and extremely cold temps?

We have 35 acres of land.......a mix of woods and growing up fields. We have tons of big brush piles, so hopefully they've found some shelter in those.
I put some dried corn around the areas they seemed to frequent. I have a friend who said she had a bobwhite once that loved greenbeans.

I saw one of them again later this afternoon, as I was going out to check on the chickens.
It was doing its low/soft call. And I realized that I heard this sound last Fall and couldn't figure out what it was. I hope they're going to live here! We're going to have to be really careful when we mow some of the fields. We have to watch out for the red-winged blackbird nests too.
But how exciting to maybe have the bobwhites back for awhile!

As a kid, I encountered coveys of bobwhites everywhere. Additionally, all the pheasants in Illinois are gone. I really don't know what led to their decline, but they have certainly dwindled over the last 30 years. In my area, there is ample habitat, what with all the CRP around. I'd have to think it is more predator related. A couple years ago, I heard an awful commotion coming from our woods. Out popped a cock bobwhite with a redtailed hawk right on its tail. The hawk abandoned his chase when he saw me.

We were able to enjoy many quail last summer as they feasted on the wheat I sowed for erosion control around the pond. Again, though, we noticed increased hawk activity.

With humankind taking over everything, its hard to know where the breaks in the circle are. :(

Back in the 60's and 70's they were plentifully and my dad hunted them almost daily, I grow up eating Bobwhite Quail and dad probably walked over every farm within 50 miles of home hunting. Dad and his hunting buddies would have a guail dinner at least monthly. Fried quail and biscuits, cream pototoes and gravy, and tomatoes. That's GOOD eates. Reminds me of the many birddogs dad had, there was Jim, Judy, Old Andy, Amos. Oh my god I haven't thought about them doggies in forever. I can see the tailgate of the pickup truck lined up with 100 hundreds of Bobwhite Quail after a large hunt. Its was just a way of life back then.