Quail Rules? (1 Viewer)

Andrew · Jun 18, 2004

I shall split my question into two parts and ask the first part first.

What are the rules for Quail being ticked? I see reports reguarly on Birdguides of "one heard calling from Farmer Browns cornfield at 13:25pm".

Are people ticking Quails if they hear them but still don't SEE them? Seems a bit of a bizarre cheat.

mountain man · Jun 18, 2004

I've said this before, but I think to prevent people flushing, tape luring, trespassing and being a general pain in the arse, there are certain species that should be deemed tickable on call only.

Quail is definitely one. However I like the idea that you can tick them on your year list providing you have a sighting on your life list.

Edward woodwood · Jun 18, 2004

you have to see them of course! My world list would be much more impressive if i could count anything i'd heard cos it's a bit tricky to see them.

Unfortunately the kind of people after a tick of quail often are a pain in the arse Tom, you're right. So maybe in this case in UK there is a case for heard only being half a tick...or is that daft!

alternatively drive around one weekend and find a likely looking corn field with a ride in it and wait and wait and wait and hopefully you'll see one eventually. I used to do it in Derbyshire when i knew birds were present. Difficult but you only have to do it once.......!

Michael Frankis · Jun 18, 2004

Find a friendly farmer with Quails in his fields, and beg a ride on his combine when he's harvesting. That'll get you a Quail seen.

Michael

Andrew · Jun 18, 2004

Second part of my question, if a 'heard only' tick is allowable then how do I as a profoundly deaf person, tick them?

Is being with someone who hears them allowable?

Dave B Smith · Jun 18, 2004

Andrew,
That would be quite a stretch on an already thin line wouldn't it

I bird most often with my wife and occassionally one of us will see a bird but the other doesn't. Only the one who saw the bird ticks it.

The other trouble I would personally have with ticking birds on heard only, is that I'm tone deaf and can't hear out of one ear. Even hearing one call, I'd have a real hard time ID'ing it!

Andrew · Jun 18, 2004

Dave,

I personally believe all ticks on a list have to be SEEN and that does not include flushing a bird you can hear. After all if you can hear a Quail then you should be excited enough and keen enough to wait a long time for a chance to see it.

I must point out I am PROFOUNDLY deaf since birth, ie: a proper deaf person. If someone is ticking them on heard only basis standing next to me then it is understandable for me to be a bit pissed off. Isn't it?

Jasonbirder · Jun 18, 2004

I reckon you`ve got every right to be cheesed off Andrew ....but if I hear one at the weekend i`ll be counting it on my year list

(I have seen them in the past so my concience is clean!)

PJW · Jun 18, 2004

The answer's simple.

You can tick in on your heard list
but you can't tick it on your seen list.

Trying to flush it is a waste of time. You stand a far greater chance of being shot by a farmer than you do of seeing it. And any flight views will be pretty poor.

There's no easy answer. But one will come along sooner or later. Flushed by chance on the east coast during a fall. Or sat in the open and put out on the pagers or or... Keep birding long enough and you'll see one.

Mike Pennington · Jun 18, 2004

Andrew said:
I shall split my question into two parts and ask the first part first.

What are the rules for Quail being ticked? I see reports reguarly on Birdguides of "one heard calling from Farmer Browns cornfield at 13:25pm".

Are people ticking Quails if they hear them but still don't SEE them? Seems a bit of a bizarre cheat.

What you tick is entirely up to you - it's your list, do what you want.

Birds can enter the official record through being heard though (although you would heve to be confident that it was something mimicking it).

Imagine if every Bird Report only included Quails that were seen. It would be nonsense.

If I go out and hear a Quail, I'm happy - it has been recorded. Bit then I have seen one.

Doesn't help with your specific dilemma, though. Michael F. probably has the best idea.

MikeP

deboo · Jun 18, 2004

My ears are flapping at the moment!
I've spent the past few 'ages', trying to hear a darned Quail!..
Heard 1 last year..but zilch this year....
Last time I saw 1 was when the Miners were on strike.
As Mike says....it's your list, tick what you like....I do on my list!
Question: Black Swan....can you tick this??

Dave.

Michael Frankis · Jun 18, 2004

deboo said:
As Mike says....it's your list, tick what you like....I do on my list!
Question: Black Swan....can you tick this??

Dave.

In Oz - yes

Anywhere else - no. Or yes, if you're prepared to put up with everyone laughing at you :-O

Michael

alan_rymer · Jun 18, 2004

Bit difficult for Andrew, see it one one year for a lifer, then tick future years if heard!.
Maybe Andrew can have a " Somebody else heard whilst I was with them " list?.

Andrew · Jun 18, 2004

PJW said:
Trying to flush it is a waste of time. You stand a far greater chance of being shot by a farmer than you do of seeing it. And any flight views will be pretty poor.

I am not saying I would attempt to flush one but if it was morally right to do so then I'd risk a farmer's good sight!!!

Andrew · Jun 18, 2004

Thanks for the responses Guys, I will hope I get lucky in Norfolk soon!

Michael Frankis · Jun 18, 2004

Another option is to - with the farmer's permission - walk stubble fields in the day or two after the harvest. Quail often stick around in subble after the harvest; and as a combine harvester has just driven over the site, you can be certain that you're not disturbing nesting birds.

Even careful scanning of new stubble can be worthwhile, the last Quail I saw was a head sticking an inch out of the stubble as it called shortly before dusk (could only see it when it stretched its head up to call, when feeding it was invisible).

Michael

Stephen Dunstan · Jun 18, 2004

Surely the criteria for ticking something is whether you are sure of the identity. If you are you count it, if you aren't you don't. Why walk through stubble or similar to confirm the identity of a bird when you already know what it is.

And another thought - are people suggesting blind people can't keep a list. Seems like bizarre logic to me.

Stephen.

Andrew · Jun 18, 2004

Stephen Dunstan said:
Surely the criteria for ticking something is whether you are sure of the identity. If you are you count it, if you aren't you don't. Why walk through stubble or similar to confirm the identity of a bird when you already know what it is.

Makes a lot of sense, hearing it and knowing it is enough to confirm it's presence but could it be mimickry by another bird? Actually the joy of birding surely is SEEING the bird and revelling in it's beauty.

That comment does put listing into it's place does it?

Andrew · Jun 18, 2004

Stephan,

Sorry, I spoke as a DEAF person and did not realise you can enjoy a bird via it's song. Narrow minded of me.

Bluetail · Jun 18, 2004

Personally I wouldn't tick a "heard only" record, even as a year tick (though I would send it to the county recorder). On the other hand I think the problem is not so much about the bird as about people playing the numbers game so, paradoxically, although I don't do it myself, I do support the concept of ticking them on voice.

Quail Rules? (1 Viewer)

wibble wibble

Guest

Member

conehead

wibble wibble

Well-known member

wibble wibble

Jason-occasional-twitcher

Member

Registered Member

.............

conehead

Well-known member

wibble wibble

wibble wibble

conehead

Registered User

wibble wibble

wibble wibble

Senior Moment

Similar threads

Users who are viewing this thread