Maggie's Farm

We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.

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Tuesday, January 26. 2010

Bird du Jour: The Bob White

As I was considering some dinner plans, naturally the idea of foie-gras-stuffed quail came to mind.


Quail, around here, are Bob Whites. (Hunters in the South call them "birds," hence the origin of the term bird dog.) Habitat loss and development is the main reason that these Eastern US birds are approaching endangered status in parts of their range. You can read about them here. 


I have heard them calling their name out on Nantucket, Long Island and on Cape Cod, but nowhere inland in New England.


Fortunately, they are readily pen-raised and thus easily available at supermarkets - and for preserve shooters who typically, even in the South, release thousands of pen-raised birds for the pleasure of the sports.


This site has 91 quail recipes.

Posted by Bird Dog in Food and Drink, Natural History and Conservation, Our Essays at 11:39 | Comments (9) | Trackbacks (0)

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The numbers of Bob White on the Cape have declined greatly over the years, they used to be comically prevalent. All the kids got in whistling matches with scattered quail, now they much less frequently appear and call. Then again, look at all the building that has overtaken the Cape during that time, consuming more habitat.

I have heard quail in Massachusetts west of I-495, as well as parts of western Connecticut and in New York east of the Hudson, but they are more scarce inland.
#1 Seppo on 2010-01-26 11:53 (Reply)
The Bobs decline in the south and along the coast has mirrored the decline of the pheasant in the Mid-Atlantic states.
Ironically the decline of one species is in inverse proportion to the unchecked growth of avian predators. Simply coincidence though.
#1.1 Bonasa (Link) on 2010-01-26 19:28 (Reply)
Whip-or-wills' calls at night sometimes end with "whip."

Thurber says that's his mate killing him.
#2 rhhardin (Link) on 2010-01-26 12:43 (Reply)
Oh, but those little birdies are so cute ... maybe you can just show us the finished dish next time.
#3 D on 2010-01-26 12:52 (Reply)
I never did see the point of hunting quail. All there is to eat is the breast, and if you really nail the bird when you shoot it, you don't even have that.
#4 feeblemind on 2010-01-26 20:09 (Reply)
It sounds as if you really hate Southerners.
We call them Bobwhites and Quail here in Louisiana.
Its absurd to comment that anyone calls them 'birds'.
They frequent my backyard.
#5 bruce wayne on 2010-01-26 23:31 (Reply)
So wrong! We love Southerners.
Maybe they dont call these "birds" in La, but they do in GA, SC, NC, VA, TN, etc.
#5.1 Bird Dog on 2010-01-27 06:47 (Reply)
We sometimes call'em birds yanks, too.

But only afterwards, less them git scaret.
#5.1.1 Leag on 2010-01-27 14:11 (Reply)
I went to college with a guy named Bob White. At the time I never could figure out why people sort of chortled when they introduced him.
We have some friends who are avid bird hunters/antique shotgun afficianadoes in Walla Walla, WA. Methinks they will like the recipe link! Many thanks!
#6 Susan in Seattle on 2010-01-26 23:47 (Reply)

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