The 2012 quail hatch in the Albany area and Red Hills was much improved over last year when we were in the middle of a record drought! It all started with a mild winter which kept migratory hawk numbers below normal and overwinter quail survival above normal. This, along with relatively light harvests last year, resulted in a good carry-over of birds from the fall population. Good adult survival combined with an early spring and adequate rainfall got the nesting season off early with the first nests hatching in early May and our latest nests hatching in mid-October. Weather conditions were nearly ideal in the Albany Area all summer and similarly in the Red Hills, except for excessive rainfall associated with Tropical Strom Debbie in July.
The resulting hatch was impressive. On Tall Timbers areas, 68 nests hatched for every 100 hens entering the season! This is 57% greater than in 2011 and above our long-term average (Figure 1). Our hatch was very similar to that of 2009 which was an outstanding quail year in the Red Hills. In Albany, nesting and hatches per hen were up 30% over last year and well over the long-term average (Figure 2). While judging population changes from one demographic parameter can be unreliable, when nesting season length, nesting rates, nesting success, adult and chick survival are at or above long-term averages, population increases are likely!
Figure 1. Number of broods hatched per 100 hens and cock birds on our fed sites on Tall Timbers.
Figure 2. Number of nests and broods per 100 hens entering the nesting season shows an increasing trend in chick production.
We completed covey call counts on our study areas and other properties. In Albany, call counts are revealing populations making a strong recovery from last year with solid increases in the number of coveys and large covey sizes. On Tall Timbers our population was 37% greater this year than last year (Figure 3). Similar increases have been observed in covey call counts on plantation properties. Overall, we are predicting populations our study populations have increased by 30% and perhaps more. Through sound management, including habitat, supplemental feeding, predation management, and modest harvest rates combined with nearly ideal weather, our populations appear to have rebounded from the worst drought on record in 2011. The importance of each of these practices cannot be overstated to maintaining bobwhite populations through time.
Autumn bobwhite densities on Tall Timbers 2007-2012.
At present the combination of heavy cover, a preponderance of young birds and very dry conditions are moderating the numbers seen during pre-season woods work and dog training. Dry weather is common this time of year, but the long-term forecast is predicting a cooler than normal and wetter than normal winter, which should improve covey finds this season over last.
Prescribed fire is a safe way to apply a natural process, ensure ecosystem health and reduce wildfire risk.
By Eric Staller, Tall Timbers Natural Resources Coordinator
When do I burn is a common question, but the real question is why am I burning? Winter burns, spring burns and summer burns are all important depending on your objectives and habitat types. Objectives and habitat types will not only determine when to burn, but also fire frequency, size and scale. Typical objective categories include: silvicultural, wildlife management, and fuel reduction.
When wildlife management is your objective, fire frequency, size and scale are very important. At Tall Timbers we burn approximately 60% of the uplands each year in a mosaic pattern.
Fall and winter burns tend to be cooler, and wind direction tends to be more consistent throughout the day. Silvicultural objectives include site preparation for planting pines or to catch natural regeneration; a clean burn will allow sunlight to reach the seedlings, and seed to soil contact. Burning through pine plantations, particularly young pines, and fuel reduction are a few others.
Winter burns are often used for fuel reduction — to burn through drains and hammocks prior to leaf out. However, from a wildlife management or ecological perspective, spring and summer burns are much better. Winter burns will stay “black” until bud break or spring green up, which in the southeast is around the beginning of March; black or bare ground has a higher chance of eroding and is unsuitable habitat for wildlife.
When burning after spring green up, the ground cover will recover quickly, and become useable space for wildlife.
One month post burn on old field land shows regrowth.
To achieve wildlife management and ground cover objectives on old field lands, (land that at some time had previously been tilled for agriculture), spring is a better time to burn. The end of February through mid-May is typically good spring burning weather. By the latter part of May, however, relative humidity in the southeast begins to climb too high for clean burns on old field lands.
Spring and summer burning are very important for native uplands, those lands that have not been previously tilled. Many of the native plant species, such as wiregrass, evolved with frequent fire and need the growing season burns to produce viable seed. With regard to wildlife, the nests of ground nesting birds such as quail and Bachman’s sparrows may be burned in the summer, these species readily re-nest, and the summer burns will become great brooding habitat for the latter hatched broods. Also, for hunting, later burning improves the structure of native vegetation or areas dominated by grasses by reducing thick cover.
Burning in late spring and summer is the best time for hardwood control, as the saplings have moved resources from the root system to above ground. Top killing them at this time will lower the resources needed to re-sprout and the length of the growing season to replenish.
Growing season burns are important for many plant species, such as wire grass, to produce viable seed.
Prescribed fire is the most important land management tool; economically, ecologically, and for wildlife management, there is no substitute. Determine your objectives and habitat types and burn accordingly. Most managers will need to use all seasons of burning to meet all their objectives.
Finally, always remember to manage your smoke whenever you burn; it’s your smoke until it reaches the mixing height.
Managing your smoke is incredibly important in protecting our right to burn. Dispersion index, mixing height, and wind direction will determine good smoke management.
New collaborative work on the bird that launched Stoddard’s career
By Jim Cox, Stoddard Bird Lab Director
While it’s well known that Herbert Stoddard was a leading game bird biologist, it seems less commonly known that he also was one of the top bird scientists in North America. Not only did he receive the most prestigious award that the American Ornithologists’ Union has to offer (The Brewster Award), his study of the birds striking the WCTV tower was one of the first formal study launched at Tall Timbers and was the project to which he dedicated the final years of his life.
Stoddard’s fascination with birds dates back to his early years in central Florida. According to his memoirs, the discovery of the nest of a Common Ground Dove was an epiphany for this scrappy outdoor kid that also spent time trapping and hunting for sustenance. Stoddard wrote that the discovery of the nest “…. launched me on my career as a student of birds and marked my beginning as an ornithologist. This lifetime absorption began in that yard … where I watched the ground dove on her nest.”
As is the case for many of pine grassland birds studied by Stoddard, trends for the Common Ground Dove have listed downward for many decades, and the dove is now listed as a species of conservation in Florida, Mississippi, and South Carolina.
This past January, the Game Bird Program and Stoddard Bird Lab initiated a new collaborative study on the dove that could help to fill some important information gaps. It turns out that Ground Doves regularly find their way into the walk-in traps used for quail, and a simple mark-recapture effort focused on these birds might yield information on dove survival and movements that heretofore have never been assessed. Quail techs managed to trap and band 32 individual birds and recapture 12 individuals (with one individual being recaptured 6 times). These numbers are well within the range needed to provide important long-term information, but it will take a couple of years before survival patterns begin to emerge.
The distribution of birds across the property also was patchy and suggests Ground Doves may be focusing in on specific habitat configurations that are as yet unknown. This information could help land management and recommendations for CRP projects.
The lab also welcomed Matt Gould and Dave Pavlik to assist with work on Brown-headed Nuthatches this spring. Both techs are certified bird banders and have a tremendous amount of experience with the type of re-sighting work we do. Nuthatches are in the early stages of nest excavation at this point, and the Lab eagerly waits to see how birds are responding to the experimental treatments put in play in 2013.
Hardwood re-sprout roots – more than meets the eye
By Dr. Kevin Robertson, Fire Ecology Program Director
Broadleaf woody plants that re-sprout after being top killed by fire make up a large portion of the groundcover plants in natural southeastern U.S. pine forests. Sometimes it is important to estimate the root biomass of groundcover plants because of their contribution to competition, carbon sequestration, soil dynamics, and other ecosystem processes. Under normal conditions, root biomass is related to the biomass of the above-ground part of the plant. However, where there is frequent fire, this relationship breaks down because the top part of the plant is repeatedly killed while the roots stay intact.
To be able to estimate the root biomass of woody re-sprouts, we measured both their above-ground (stem and leaf) biomass and root biomass to find out the relationship between the two at one year following fire. We studied the five most common woody plant species and selected plants with stems and leaves ranging in height from a less than a meter to overhead height.
The results show the expected relationships between stem and leaf biomass and root biomass, but that the relationship is different for different species (see Figure). At one year following fire, there is always much more root biomass than above-ground biomass. An important management implication is that the rate of re-sprout growth and size of re-sprouts, at a certain time since fire, is more strongly related to root size, then to the fire intensity, season, or frequency of fire in the short term. That is to say, when it comes to burning woody re-sprouts, you tend to get back what you had before. However, over the course of multiple fires, fire frequency and season are expected to influence root growth (or root loss) and thereby affect re-sprout growth rate and size.
Quail Report: over-winter survival for bobwhites bodes well for early hatch
By Dr. Bill Palmer, Tall Timbers President/CEO
November was about three degrees cooler than the long-term average, but unfortunately for dog handlers, the cooler temperatures did not last through December and January. According to the National Weather Service, December was nearly four degrees warmer than average and January was eight degrees warmer. During December and January there were 14 fewer days than normal with below freezing temperatures. The growing season appears to be already beginning with early bud break for many plant species and ovaries on bobwhites began to recrudesce (re-grow) in early February. Quail have been calling “bobwhite” along with covey calls on our study area in South Florida since January; and we heard the first “bobwhite” calls February 13, this year.
Click on the following link to view a roostng bobwhite covey via FLIR Infrared Camera:https://vimeo.com/59655215
On warm nights coveys roost in a more open pattern. This video shows dispersed pairs of bobwhites rather than the classic “covey circle”. We notice increased aggression among individuals within a covey this time of year as pair-bonding has begun. While conjecture, pairs in this video may have established a pair-bond and are now awaiting nesting conditions.
While the unseasonably warm weather and ample ground cover has made finding coveys inconsistent from day to day, the benefit has been above average overwinter survival. From November through January, survival of our radio tagged sample of quail on our study areas has exceeded 80%, which is well above what we see during colder winters. The combination of less natural mortality and lower harvests should result in an excellent carry-over of breeders. Over the last 20 years, we have seen several cases of peak populations as a result of two back to back years of excellent overwinter carry-over.
Weather predictions are for warmer and drier weather for the short-term (through March), followed by significant uncertainty in the forecast, with predicted variability for summer time weather, with periods of drought and periods of above average rainfall. With an early breeding season forecasted, typical burning in March and early April will set the stage for quail to take advantage of an early nesting season. If severe drought takes hold during March, stretch out burning, at least on more fertile sites, until rainfall returns; this will minimize the length of time for the cover to rebound, and benefit the birds by providing more habitat, which will increase their survival.
The M-CORES program, which includes the proposed Suncoast Connector Toll Road in Jefferson County, passed through the Florida Legislature at breakneck speed with little review or analysis. Tall Timbers has a number of concerns given the potential for significant and wide spread impacts. These include fragmenting public and private conservation lands, robbing business from Main Street Monticello, impacting our rivers and other water resources, and making prescribed fire more difficult and costly.
Join us in asking the Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners to OPPOSE the Suncoast Connector toll road and its path through Jefferson County.
Take action now with our easy email form.
Send an email to all five Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners with one click!
Burn prioritization modeling seminars and fire modeling tools are supported by Wildland Fire Science to train managers in the important planning stages of prescribed fires.
Educating and guiding the next generation of fire researchers and managers is a key goal of Wildland Fire Science and a resource for testing new ideas in fire research.
Tall Timbers hosts the premier fire technology transfer organization—the Southern Fire Exchange. This JFSP funded effort helps connect research to management through webinars, workshops, and support of the Prescribed Fire Science Consortium.
Working with partners in the Prescribed Fire Science Consortium, the program is building nexgen 3-D fuel beds using terrestrial LiDAR and novel sampling techniques to power new fire behavior models for prescribed fire managers. This work links to Tall Timbers work in wildlife habitat usage and ecological forestry.
The Longleaf Legacy landscape prescribed fire burn team arm of Wildland Fire Science works directly with landowners and partners to effectively put fire on the ground and promote prescribed fire throughout the region.
Tall Timbers is leading an effort to map fire regimes at the landscape scale. Staff work with numerous agencies to evaluate fire records and satellite imagery to build this critical conservation database. https://skfb.ly/6DqOY
Tall Timbers hosts the Prescribed Fire Science Consortium, a national network of researchers and managers who promote integrated research and management to advance next generation tools for fire practitioners. https://arcg.is/1DSjDT
We are linking physics and field observations to understand the fluid dynamics of fire behavior surface fire regimes. Our work combines field observations using advanced thermal imaging techniques, laboratory studies, and coupled fire-atmospheric modeling to help managers improve outcomes of managed fire regimes.
Selected Publications authored by Wildland Fire Science staff.
Staff and researchers support Federal fire training by serving as a cadre for NWCG training courses, ranging from basic wildland fire to advanced fire effects.
(PFTC) specializes in training fire fighters the principles and techniques of prescribed fire through practical hands-on experience. https://www.fws.gov/fire/pftc/
Private land owners are the largest source of prescribed fire in the country. These land owners and the culture of fire that was maintained by them during decades of suppression are a part of why Tall Timbers is a world-wide center for prescribed fire science. Workshops and fire training are a critical focus of the Longleaf Legacy Landscape Burn Team and our support of the Georgia Forestry Commission Prescribed Fire Center in Marion County.
The conserved lands of the Greater Red Hills region are found on working, income-producing properties that support agriculture, forestry, and recreational hunting. These properties contribute $272 million annually to local economies and support 2,300 jobs. [link to Planning & Advocacy section] The landowners’ strong stewardship ethic preserves their working lands while replenishing drinking water supplies, protecting water quality, and providing wildlife habitat for dozens of rare and endangered species. Tall Timbers’ conservation easements on these working properties encourage landowners to retain their traditional livelihood by keeping farms in family ownership.
Home to world-class wild quail populations, the Greater Red Hills region contains the largest concentration of gamebird preserves in the United States. These preserves also support the largest community of Red-cockaded woodpeckers on private lands. Indicators of high quality habitat found here include the gopher tortoise, Bachman’s sparrow, fox squirrel, and many amphibians. Tall Timbers’ conservation easements identify and protect the critical habitats of these species.
The region also boasts outstanding aquatic resources. Large river systems, like the Flint/Apalachicola, Ochlockonee, and Aucilla, flow from Georgia and feed into the Gulf of Mexico to support some of the world’s most productive estuaries. Large disappearing sinkhole lakes, like Iamonia, Miccosukee, and Jackson, provide habitat for an array of aquatic species and migratory birds. Tall Timbers’ conservation easements protect these vital watersheds and wetlands that are the lifeblood for the ecological health of the region.
Once dominated by longleaf pine, our pine woodlands support abundant wildlife and local economies. These forests need prescribed fire to stay healthy. Herbert L. Stoddard and his associates Ed and Roy Komarek were pioneers in this emerging scientific field during the mid-20th century. Tall Timbers continues that legacy with applied research on prescribed fire and land management. Today, there is a tremendous need to expand prescribed fire use beyond the Red Hills to ensure ecosystem health and reduce wildfire risk. Additionally, Tall Timbers uses conservation easements to permanently protect private woodlands while balancing the need for economic return from selective timbering.
This past January, the Game Bird Program and Stoddard Bird Lab initiated a new collaborative study on the dove that could help to fill some important information gaps. It turns out that Ground Doves regularly find their way into the walk-in traps used for quail, and a simple mark-recapture effort focused on these birds might yield information on dove survival and movements that heretofore have never been assessed. Quail techs managed to trap and band 32 individual birds and recapture 12 individuals (with one individual being recaptured 6 times). These numbers are well within the range needed to provide important long-term information, but it will take a couple of years before survival patterns begin to emerge. 
Broadleaf woody plants that re-sprout after being top killed by fire make up a large portion of the groundcover plants in natural southeastern U.S. pine forests. Sometimes it is important to estimate the root biomass of groundcover plants because of their contribution to competition, carbon sequestration, soil dynamics, and other ecosystem processes. Under normal conditions, root biomass is related to the biomass of the above-ground part of the plant. However, where there is frequent fire, this relationship breaks down because the top part of the plant is repeatedly killed while the roots stay intact. 
The results show the expected relationships between stem and leaf biomass and root biomass, but that the relationship is different for different species (see Figure). At one year following fire, there is always much more root biomass than above-ground biomass. An important management implication is that the rate of re-sprout growth and size of re-sprouts, at a certain time since fire, is more strongly related to root size, then to the fire intensity, season, or frequency of fire in the short term. That is to say, when it comes to burning woody re-sprouts, you tend to get back what you had before. However, over the course of multiple fires, fire frequency and season are expected to influence root growth (or root loss) and thereby affect re-sprout growth rate and size. 
