This week we had a visit from John Parke of New Jersey Audubon, who brought a group of avid birders to Sim Place to see some bobwhite quail!
After driving out to Sim Place, John gave a brief talk, explaining what the project was about and how Pine Island came to be the survey site. Our site was chosen for several reasons, among them a state-approved Forest Stewardship Plan outlining long-term management goals as well as the extent of existing quality habitat already onsite from years of active forestry work, prescribed burning and agricultural best management practices that made it stand out above other sites in the region. Caring for the place where we live, work, and grow is one of our core values, and this project is a unique opportunity to give back to the land which sustains us.
University of Delaware student Mike Adams then demonstrated how he uses telemetry to track the quail, and in the process managed to flush an entire covey! An absolutely spectacular sight, and one we’re hoping will become more frequent.
Of course, no stop at Pine Island would be complete without seeing why we’re managing the land in the first place, so they finished the tour with a quick stop to visit one of our gathering teams and learn a bit more about the harvest process.
John is a great friend to Pine Island, and he always brings visitors who love the pines as much as we do! They were delighted to see so many different species in their natural habitat, and it was truly a pleasure to take them around.