California Quail - just down the road!

Some Joker was writing in an old 1987 Aussie 'Sporting Shooter ' that he'd had a long day shooting Coturnix Novaezelandiae,  (New Zealand Quail)  and had bagged a few after he learned to control his dog.

- He did bloody well - as that bird has been extinct since 1875 ! - His Aussie birds likely would have been 'Stubble Quail' Coturnix Pectoralis. or Brown Quail maybe.

                                                      Brown Quail

Living up here in the hill country of the South Island NZ - I sometimes hear the "where are you?" call of  California Quail - and indeed a couple visited my backyard last year and poked about for a while - but the male mostly stood on-guard on top of the fence.

                               California Quail - Pretty Birds eh - and tasty.

A couple of weeks back as I drove-up to the junction at the top of my road and the 'GIVE WAY' sign - straight ahead on the far side of the road I spotted a 'covey' of a dozen or so birds running together through the grass close-in to the scrubby hedging.

- Great to see, as that must indicate that there aren't too many introduced pest stoats, weasels, or ferrets around.

I could be tempted to get a few birds to breed for eggs & meat as there is a breeder advertising them (and pheasants) for sale in Kaiapoi near Christchurch. - I'll have to think about it as all livestock can be a tie when you need to be away. That would be the only way I could get a feed of Quail - as I'm useless with a shotgun unless it's a stationary target !

- Such pretty birds - Roast potatoes, parsnips, pumpkin, and some silver-beet (chard) from the garden steamed with carrots & peas - Yum.

Being largely an underpopulated and rural nation with large areas of steep country - either wild bush (including rain forest) or 'hill-country' that has been cleared of bush by logging and burning for grazing sheep and cattle - there is generally plenty of room for wildlife. We used to be able to just move off the highway and out of sight for camping, fishing and a spot of shooting.

Now, with our population creeping up past 4.5 million and the many welcome tourists travelling in camper vans - local authorities are introducing camping regulations to restrict "free-campers" and imposing cash fines on casual 'overnight-stoppers' - with the intent of directing everyone into paying for fenced camp sites and holiday parks.

Some of our back-country streams are now contaminated with Giardia - a nasty stomach-bug, and roadside lay-byes, 'picnic spots' and viewing points are increasingly ringed with little fertiliser heaps and crumpled toilet paper.

Hmm, - but we've still got fifteen times less people than the UK (-The Land of the 'No Parking' sign - I used to be a Londoner).

Marty K