Texas Quails: Ecology and Management

13. Quails on the High Plains

233 Quails on the High Plains C. Brad Dabbert, Duane R. Lucia, and Robert B. Mitchell Agriculture, especially cotton production, has drastically changed the bird life of Texas. Oberholser (1974) Wild quails are one of the most popular objects of pursuit for birdwatchers and hunters in Texas. In many areas of the state, their economic value rivals that of traditional agricultural enterprises such as livestock. Unfortunately, this importance is not realized in the Southern High Plains of Texas. Land-use practices in this region of intensive agricultural activity leave relatively few areas of suitable habitat available for quails. Though Farm Bill programs have influenced millions of acres in the High Plains, this influence has not resulted in increases in quail populations in the region. Description and analysis of the current state of knowledge concerning quails and their management in the Southern High Plains of Texas should help direct the efforts of parties interested in the maintenance and restoration of quail populations. Thus, the purpose of this chapter is to (1) discuss the present and future state of quail populations and their relationship to land use in the Southern High Plains of Texas, (2) review the quail research literature concerning the region, and (3) describe future research needs. Description of the High Plains The ecoregion of the Southern High Plains of Texas is classified as the Southwest Plateau—Plains Dry Steppe and Shrub Province within the Tropical and Subtropical Division of the Dry Ecosystem Domain (Bailey 1998). The Texas High Plains are on the southern end of the North American Great Plains and occupy about 8 million hectares (20 million acres) (Scifres 1980; figure 13.1). The Texas High Plains are bordered by Oklahoma on the north, New Mexico on the west, the Trans-Pecos and Edwards Plateau on the south, and the Rolling Plains on the east. The Canadian River breaks, an extension of the Rolling Plains, bisects the northwestern portion of the region. The Caprock Escarpment provides a clear delineation of the eastern border. The region is a flat to slightly rolling high plateau with numerous playa lakes (Scifres 1980). Elevation above sea level typically decreases from north to south. Elevation at English Field in Amarillo is 1,095 meters (3,591 feet); at Lubbock International Airport, 1,006 meters (3,257 feet); and at Midland International Airport, 875 meters (2,866 feet) above sea level. The lack of natural landmarks forced early explorers to drive stakes or pile rocks for navigation points, earning the region the nickname Llano Estacado, or Staked Plains (Morris 1997). The region has a long history of human habitation. Lubbock Lake, a National Historic Landmark, represents the span of North American culture from the Clovis period (ca. 11,000 years b.p.) to the present. The climate of the Southern High Plains is semiarid. Long-term (90-year) average annual precipitation at Lubbock is 48 centimeters (18.9 inches), with about 81 percent of the precipitation occurring 13 Figure 13.1. The High Plains ecoregion of Texas. Courtesy Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute (CKWRI) GIS Laboratory 234 Quail Populations in the Ecoregions of Texas from April through October (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA] 2003b). However, from May to October, potential evapotranspiration is about twice the annual precipitation (Bailey 1998). Since 1911, annual precipitation at Lubbock has been highly variable and ranged from 22 centimeters (8.7 inches) in 1917 to 103 centimeters (40.5 inches) in 1941 (NOAA 2003b). Average decadal precipitation has ranged from 40 centimeters (15.7 inches) in the 1950s to 52.5 centimeters (20.7 inches) during the decade of the 1910s. The decade of the 1910s indicates the variable nature of precipitation in the region. This decade had the driest year on record yet had the highest average annual precipitation of any other decade. During 1914, 1915, and 1919, Lubbock received more than 78 centimeters (31 inches) of precipitation per year. However, the total precipitation received during 1916, 1917, and 1918 totaled only 91 centimeters (35.9 inches). Vegetation Characteristics The historic vegetation of the Texas High Plains was short-grass plains (Gould 1975a). Dominant grasses included blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis ), buffalograss (Buchloe dactyloides), purple threeawn (Aristida purpurea ), sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula), and little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium). Dominant forbs included blueweed (Helianthus ciliaris), prairie coneflower (Ratibida columnifera), cutleaf germander (Teucrium laciniatum), lambsquarter (Chenopodium album), and scarlet globemallow (Sphaeralcea coccinea). Dominant woody plants were honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa), shinoak (Quercus havardii ), and sand sagebrush (Artemisia filifolia). Intensive agricultural activity...