One clutch sets record with 27 eggs
Quail researchers at the Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch in Roby received a mid-April surprise. They found a nest with 27 eggs in it, and another with 22.
Adam Vonderschmidt, senior technician at RPQRR, said the ranch’s previous record was 22 eggs in a nest in 2016.
There was more good news, coming at a time when there hasn’t been much good news for several years.
Initially, they found five nests, Vonderschmidt, labeled the “nest technician” at the ranch, said. On the most recent check on April 20, they found three more for a total of eight active nests.
Nesting data information from 2010 to the present will be part of Vonderschmidt’s master’s thesis at Oklahoma State University.
“I do a lot of nest searches,” he said.
The nest discoveries came earlier than usual, and the location of the nests got the attention of ranch staff.
“Both the 27-egg and the 22-egg nest were located in Caucasian Bluestem, an exotic, old-world bluestem,” Vonderschmidt said.
The timing of the nest discoveries was another sur- prise.
“Before this year, the earliest bobwhite nest discovered was on April 19, and the earliest scaled quail nest was on April 18,” Vonderschmidt said.
What were the reasons for earlier nesting than usual?
“The rainfall and forage conditions are about the same as last year,” Vonderschmidt said. “It did get warmer faster this year than last.”
The flurry of nesting activity despite poor conditions could be due to another factor.
“We began testing broadcasting supplemental feed about a year ago as part of a six-year experiment,” said
Rolling Plains Quail Research Foundation’s interim Executive Director Dale Rollins. “All of the nests recorded this year came from “fed” pastures.”
Rollins said it was too early to say the supplemental feed is the reason, but when five nests were discovered, he called it “an intriguing start.” Then, when three more were found, he felt it could be more indicative of a trend.
The 27-egg nest likely came from more than one hen, Vonderschmidt said.
“Quail can be notorious nest dumpers,” he said. “I’ve seen scaled quail eggs in a bobwhite’s nest, and vice versa. This nest probably came from two hens. The hen I was tracking was the dumper. Then I spotted the nest. The eggs were stacked.”
How is a hen going to incubate 27 eggs?
Vonderschmidt estimated the hen would hatch about half of the eggs.
Rollins agreed.
“She may have bitten off more than she can chew,” he said.
Both quail researchers said 2023 could be another year of challenges for birds to raise chicks.
“We need rain to produce insects soon,” Rollins said.
Vonderschmidt said he is beginning to see some grasshoppers.
“I saw my first one this week,” he said. “And we have a small cold front coming that might bring some rain. But the last two storms have missed us by less than a mile.” Despite concerns with the overall outlook for the nesting season, Rollins was happy with the nesting news.
“We’ve been in the quail doldrums since 2018,” he said. “We take good news whenever it comes.”
