The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR), The University of Tennessee, and The Center for Native Grasslands Mangement have teamed up to study bobwhite on a reclaimed surface coal mine in Kentucky. Peabody Wildlife Mangement Area may not ring a bell for some, however Paradise in Muhlenburg County, as made famous by John Prine, may be more familiar! There are over 200,000 acres of recalimed land in Kentucky, and over 1.6 million acres in the eastern US. As the bobwhite population and habitat declines, these areas may be valuable to restoration efforts. Reclaimed surface coal mines present challenges to bobwhite. Peabody was revegetated with non-native, invasive plant species in order to stop erosion as quickly as possible. Many of these plants do not create a favorable environment for bobwhite. For example, a legume called sericea lespedeza covers much of the landscape. It produces a seed that has a coating too tough for quail to digest, therefore they feel full, but have not gained anything nutritionally from the seeds. It is similiar to us eating a lot of iceburg lettuce; we feel full but the meal had little nutritional value. KDFWR is working to increase the coverage of more favorable plants, such as native grasses and broad-leaf forbs which are great for nesting, as a food resource, and as cover for vulnerable chicks. Mangement includes prescribed burning, herbicide applications, and disking in 1-3 acre blocks to increase bare ground and favorable plants. Our project asks several simple questions:
1.) What is the population on the area?
2.) What type of vegetation are quail using?
3.) What is the survial rate?
4.) How does management affect quail habitat use and survival?
5.) Are breeding efforts successful?
6.) What are the characteristics of the vegetation types out there?
7.) Are bobwhite acting as we expected, or differently? For more information, post your questions here or on the page for Kentucky Bobwhite Battalion! Or you can call the Peabody WMA office at (270) 476-1889.
