"If you were to ask me to name the coolest and most unusual animals that live in my part of quail country, the greater roadrunner and the western slender glass lizard would surely be included on that list. And recently, while walking the prairie looking and listening for bobwhite quail, I was lucky enough to see both cool creatures in a life-and-death interaction I’ve never witnessed before, all while a male bobwhite whistled just a few yards away. And I think every quail hunter should be — at a bare minimum — a herpetology appreciator, if not an enthusiast. Why? Because lots of reptiles and amphibians in an area mean there’s also a healthy insect base to support those reptiles and amphibians. And a healthy insect base also means plenty of weedy forbs and pollinator plants to support those insects. And plenty of insects plus plenty of weedy forbs and pollinator plants usually equals plenty of quail. But that’s fodder for another column. Back to the scene at hand..." Read the full blog "Birds, Bees, and Snakes that Aren't Snakes," by QF Journal Editor Chad Love, at the 🔗 link in our bio. #quailforever #herplife #bobwhitequail #natureismetal #roadrunner #slenderglasslizard

On The Wing Podcast Ep. 216: Bobwhite Quail and Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers Linked by Fire, is Live! 🔗 Link in our bio to listen now! Host Bob St.Pierre is joined by Dr. Jessica McGuire, a wildlife biologist and Quail Forever’s Working Lands for Bobwhite Quail Framework Coordinator, and Joe Burnam, Georgia DNR’s red-cockaded woodpecker biologist who also has an extensive background in bobwhite quail biology. Burnam and McGuire discuss how focusing on creating great red cockaded-woodpecker habitat using prescribed fire on the southeastern United States’ open pine woodlands also can help create a bobwhite quail population explosion. Episode Highlights: - McGuire explains the shared habitat need for an open pine forest between the red-cockaded woodpeckers living near the canopy to the gopher tortoises living at ground level (and sometimes underground), and bobwhite quail living on the ground and in between. - Burnam explains the “Safe Harbor” program that incentivizes landowners to create habitat for the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker by removing the fear around the Endangered Species Act. - McGuire points landowners to learn more about conservation programs available for improving wildlife habitat in the southeastern bobwhite quail range by visiting with a Quail Forever biologist. Find a QF Biologist near you. #quailforever #pheasantsforever #bobwhitequail #woodpecker