Baldock Quail Chances?

[Andrew]

Hi,

I have been keenly watching the reports of Quail singing and 'showing well' on the Wallington to Icknield way.

Seeing as I am profoundly deaf this represents possibly my best chance of seeing (ticking) Quail in the UK (and the world), I am very tempted at a day trip from Devon.

What I want to ask is if I was only able to have a couple of hours to walk from Baldock railway station and back would I stand a good chance of actually seeing a Quail singing on the track?

Cheers,
Andrew.

[Jos Stratford]

Given the similarity between the location Baldock and your avatar's sidekick Baldrick, I reckon it must be a good omen - go for it Andrew, may the luck gods smile down upon you ;)

[toby]

Andrew,

I only live about twenty minutes away and saw the bird with my son last night. All my previous views of Quail (either in the UK or abroad) have consisted of a short flight view, or a glimpse of them running into cover.

However, there is an individual (I assume it is the same one, there are apparently six birds in total there) that has taken to occasionally singing in the open on the track. We watched it for over five minutes last night singing completely in the open. Admittedly it does spend most of its time singing from cover, but with a bit of patience (possibly an hour or two), you should get good views as long as you keep a reasonable distance (so take a 'scope.)

Good luck if you go,
Toby

[Andrew]

Cheers Jos and Toby. I have been caught napping. The travel arrangements would have been really ideal today so if they continue to perform well through the next week I highly expect to be taking a shot at them next Friday.

I will have a wider amount of time to work with with the last coach back home from London being at 9pm instead of 6pm.

[purple highflyer]

Cheers Jos and Toby. I have been caught napping. The travel arrangements would have been really ideal today so if they continue to perform well through the next week I highly expect to be taking a shot at them next Friday.

I will have a wider amount of time to work with with the last coach back home from London being at 9pm instead of 6pm.

Hi Andrew ,

Yes this would be an exelent chance to see the birds , I,m pretty local & on a quick visit Thursday had 3 sightings within 10 minutes ! , best viewed from the metal gate looking south east along the track.

PH:t:

[Andrew]

Evening PH,

Thanks for the reasuring words of comfort. My mind is now looking ahead to next Friday. I might even make it over Thursday early afternoon and stay in London/Baldock according to success. If I see them Thursday then Friday is a spare day to visit Barnes in London.

Cheers,
Andrew.

[Lawts]

What range are these birds being seen at - curious no photos have appeared yet?

[DJW]

Hi,

What I want to ask is if I was only able to have a couple of hours to walk from Baldock railway station and back would I stand a good chance of actually seeing a Quail singing on the track?

Cheers,
Andrew.

You will need a good deal of luck.

I spent over 4 hours at the site on Saturday and they did not show.

Dave

[toby]

What range are these birds being seen at - curious no photos have appeared yet?

They can be reasonably close at times though I would certainly recommend a scope. I too am surprised that there are no photos as they are certainly close enough for reasonable digiscope shots.

[DJW]

They can be reasonably close at times though I would certainly recommend a scope. I too am surprised that there are no photos as they are certainly close enough for reasonable digiscope shots.

There are some pictures on the Hertfordshire blog.

http://hertfordshirebirding.blogspot.com/2009/06/wonderful-world-of-common-quails.html

Dave

[Clive Watson]

Does anyone have some directions/grid reference for these birds? I'll be passing that way on Friday and might give it a go.

[dbradnum]

Grid ref TL268344; map >here (http://www.multimap.com/maps/?hloc=GB|baldock#map=51.99355,-0.15466|14|4&dp=os&bd=useful_information&loc=GB:51.99359:-0.15459:14|TL268344|TL268344)<. Park carefully in the gateway, and look down the track running SE.

[Clive Watson]

Thanks David, I'll be taking the A505 anyway so that's dead easy to get to. Baldock is much easier since that new bypass was built, I've been stuck in some truly terrible traffic jams there!

[Andrew]

All set to go tomorrow. Should be there early afternoon.

What's the latest? No reports so far today.

[purple highflyer]

All set to go tomorrow. Should be there early afternoon.

What's the latest? No reports so far today.

Hello Andrew ,
I,ve just noticed that myself,I still think you will see it/them ! , its been blazing hot in herts today but with a strong easterly breeze,if you dont have to be up to early keep an eye out for any evening sightings,someone may go there when it cools down a bit, as its quite exposed , good luck!:t:

[Andrew]

Thanks. I have from early afternoon until about five or six then I have to leg it back to the railway station so hoping for the best.

[Bucko1983]

hello,

i am up in st. neots and am thinking of giving the old quail a shot, would you people out there reckon early morning or early evening is best?

cheers for any help

karl

[purple highflyer]

hello,

i am up in st. neots and am thinking of giving the old quail a shot, would you people out there reckon early morning or early evening is best?

cheers for any help

karl

Hello Karl,

Probably early morning but certainly not restricted to that, I saw them at around mid-day and there have been plenty of evening reports.

PH

[Andrew]

Vini, vidi, Quail!

Really delighted to nail one! After leaving home at 5am, using a coach to London, the tube, a train to Baldock then Shank's Pony to the five bar gate at 2pm, I waited and watched for some time. A few birders came and went all claiming to hear them in the barley (I presume it is barley). Plenty of Sklarks, Corn Buntings and Red-leg Partridges were using the track. Two hares further up in a distant set aside.

After five I had little time left before having to walk back to the station. A birder called Robert offered me a lift back when I wanted so as I could have "five more minutes" which was manna to the ears of the fisherman that I used to be.

At ten to six I got something in my scope that made me look up through my bins quickly. It was an unmistakable Quail in flight straight across the top of the barley for at least 200 yards before banking sharp and dropping into the crop.

After near four hours of scope squinting and stress (plus that bloody rain) it was euphoria.

Back to Baldock, train to King's Cross, Piccadilly line, off at Leicester Square for ten mins to grab a £4.50 chinese takeway buffet (very, very good), back on Piccadilly Line to Hammersmith and caught the coach back home to Devon with a moron sat opposite me but did I care? No, got Quail ticked.

Home and back in bed at 1:20am. One bast**d of a bird ticked for a deaf birder.

Thanks to Robert for the "five extra minutes" if you are reading this!

[purple highflyer]

Hi Andrew ,

Realy glad you got one after all that effort. :t:

PH

[davercox]

Now that is a really good twitch Andrew: twenty hours, all on public transport, got the bird at the very last minute. (I've got to say, I've never seen one in fifty years, heard plenty but that's all. Jealous, moi ?).

[Jos Stratford]

The Baldrick omen, good stuff Andrew ;)

[Geoff Pain]

Well done Andrew.

[gooner george]

Karl

I met you on Saturday morning to see the quail. did you go back Sunday night and if so any success?

Regards
George

[Bucko1983]

Karl

I met you on Saturday morning to see the quail. did you go back Sunday night and if so any success?

Regards
George

hello, no i didn't go back in the end i couldn't be arsed but i am contemplating going this week in the evening. if i see or even hear one i will put it up on here

cheers
karl

[gooner george]

hello, no i didn't go back in the end i couldn't be arsed but i am contemplating going this week in the evening. if i see or even hear one i will put it up on here

cheers
karl

Thanks, if I don't make it tonight it will have to be Thursday night for me. Not sure I can take another Saturday morning disappointment. However given Andrew's all day effort may be I should be trying harder!

George

[Carlos Davies]

Hi.

I was there on Sunday (28th June) between 4pm and 7pm. There was one bird singing in the field just North of the road. It was very close to the road and about 50m East of the gate ("viewing area"). I didn't hear any other Quails, and none showed on the farm track beyond the gate.

A word of warning: amongst the fairly large numbers of Corn Buntings is one without tail feathers. This flew up from near to where the Quail was singing, crossed the road, and flew low across the top of the crop. I've never seen Quail before and it looked remarkably like the field guide illustrations of Quails in flight. I only realised it's true identity because, instead of dropping into the crop, it shot upwards and perched on a wire.

[Clive Watson]

I was there at about 7pm on Monday and heard one Quail twice, but no sightings. I also saw the tailless Corn Bunting, what a great site for that species!

[skink1978]

I've had a couple of goes at seeing the Quail without success. On Sunday I heard at least 3 birds singing, although none seemed to be singing near to the track.

As mentioned above, Corn Buntings are common at the site. I have also seen 3 Fallow Deer (including a white doe), a Fox and a Weasel.

I'm back in the South at the weekend, although I don't think I'll spend much time looking for Quails unless they start to appear on the track again.

[Andrew]

The Quail in flight was a stretched rugby ball shaped bird with long pointed wings in rapid flight with no white markings.

Agreed, plenty of Corn Buntings on site but this wasn't one.

But you have planted cruel seeds of doubt in my head now! :-C

[Andrew]

Would a tail free Corn Bunting fly fast, straight and true a metre or so above the crop?

Or would it be a bouncy flight?

[StuartReeves]

Andrew, your description sounds good to me. Try this one (http://www.netfugl.dk/pictures.php?id=showpicture&picture_id=28383) for size.

Cheers,

Stuart

[Andrew]

Hi Stuart,

Mine was a lot more distant thus I can not use that image to confirm nor deny. In fact, seeing such good detail on that image however rare it is to do so make it more troubling for me. I am still convinced I saw a Quail though but it is not sitting comfortably after the suggestive posts by Carlos and Clive.

Cheers,
Andrew.

[Jos Stratford]

Whilst this does not 100% discount other birds, your description "in flight straight across the top of the barley for at least 200 yards before banking sharp and dropping into the crop" is spot on for a Quail.

To be honest, I would be surprised if you were observing a bird for such distance that you would have made a mistake - a Corn Bunting, with or without a tail, is not a Quail ;)

The bird you saw was a Quail Andrew ;)

[Andrew]

Cheers Jos.

Overnight, I have thought on it more and have dispelled all the evil doubts. What I saw was in no way a tail less Corn Bunting and a definite Quail. It stays on my list.

Thanks for bringing up the presence of the tail less Corn Bunting though. It is best for people to know about it.

[Carlos Davies]

The Quail in flight was a stretched rugby ball shaped bird with long pointed wings in rapid flight with no white markings.

Agreed, plenty of Corn Buntings on site but this wasn't one.

But you have planted cruel seeds of doubt in my head now! :-C

Hi Andrew

Sorry to plant seeds of doubt in your mind. That wasn't my intention. More a note of caution to anyone else going to look. The tail-less bunting got me excited for a split second but was obviously a bunting once I got the bins on it in flight. I don't doubt that what you saw was a Quail.

(And, of course, I'm not jealous at all ;)).

[MarkHows]

Whilst this does not 100% discount other birds, your description "in flight straight across the top of the barley for at least 200 yards before banking sharp and dropping into the crop" is spot on for a Quail.

To be honest, I would be surprised if you were observing a bird for such distance that you would have made a mistake - a Corn Bunting, with or without a tail, is not a Quail ;)

The bird you saw was a Quail Andrew ;)


The grey partridges there do exactly the same and a few people have ticked a distant one as quail so beware. I was there on Tuesday evening, had one on the track briefly and 3 in flight, quail that is plus a couple of grey partridges, and the tailess corn bunting is still present.

Mark

[Clive Watson]

Corn Bunting has a rather weak flight with legs dangling. I wouldn't have thought it'd look much like a Quail in flight. Your description sounds more like a Quail to me, though either of the partridges would have to be ruled out. When I saw the tailless Corn Bunting it was singing from a wire so I can't really say how 'quail-like' it would look.

[Carlos Davies]

Corn Bunting has a rather weak flight with legs dangling. I wouldn't have thought it'd look much like a Quail in flight. Your description sounds more like a Quail to me, though either of the partridges would have to be ruled out. When I saw the tailless Corn Bunting it was singing from a wire so I can't really say how 'quail-like' it would look.
Hi Clive

The Corn Bunting first caught my attention because it flew from the area where the Quail had been singing (then crossed the road and flew low over the crop to the area in front of the gate, where it ascended to the wire). That, and it's shortend rear end immediately made me think 'Quail' until I got my bins on it in flight and realised it was a Bunting (confirmed by seeing it perched on the wire).

As I said before, I've never seen a Quail so I also can't really say how Quail-like the Bunting looked. Having seen the photo linked by Stuart I can say that the Bunting's wings didn't appear anywhere near as long and narrow as that. I'm sure it was just my inexperience with Quails (and a large dose of wishful thinking) that made me initially think the Bunting looked like one.

[Bucko1983]

Thanks, if I don't make it tonight it will have to be Thursday night for me. Not sure I can take another Saturday morning disappointment. However given Andrew's all day effort may be I should be trying harder!

George


hello,

i went back last night, got there about 6ish and there were at least two singing intermittantly them at about 7.30 one just wandered out about 25 yards down the track and nonchelantly walked across from left to right and into the field on the right myself and four other lucky watchers got about 20 seconds of fantastic views before it disappeared as quicly as it arrived,

also saw the famed tailess corn \Bunting and 3 grey partridge

cheers karl

[skink1978]

It's interesting that so many people have reported seeing Grey Partridge as I only saw Red-legged on my visits (about a mile away in the heat haze!) I'm almost tempted to have another go this weekend after the recent Quail sightings.

[purple highflyer]

Cheers Jos.

Overnight, I have thought on it more and have dispelled all the evil doubts. What I saw was in no way a tail less Corn Bunting and a definite Quail. It stays on my list.

Thanks for bringing up the presence of the tail less Corn Bunting though. It is best for people to know about it.

Hi Andrew,

Yes it was a QUAIL , even at a fair range a grey partridge would show the chesnut/red on the head , corn bunting just way to small & they dont fly straight over crops for that distance.

PH:t:

[Xenospiza]

I've been there four times without success. Of course when I declined a lift there a friend of mine saw one... oh well. May try again if I have time & stamina. I haven't seen any Grey Partridges, just Red-legged. And I've mistaken a Corn Bunting for a Quail...

[gooner george]

Thanks Karl, I have only just noticed your reply. Well done.

Has any one see any quail over the week end??

I did have some sucess on Sunday as saw and heard the Otmoor marsh warbler despite pushing 3 year old twins in a buggy through the blazing heat

George

hello,

i went back last night, got there about 6ish and there were at least two singing intermittantly them at about 7.30 one just wandered out about 25 yards down the track and nonchelantly walked across from left to right and into the field on the right myself and four other lucky watchers got about 20 seconds of fantastic views before it disappeared as quicly as it arrived,

also saw the famed tailess corn \Bunting and 3 grey partridge

cheers karl

[Steve Dudley]

Andrew - well done mate! When I originally saw this thread I thought that if anyone was going to nail it it was you!

[Andrew]

Thanks Steve.