"We heard more pheasants and quail than we
have since 2014--all the years we've been doing the survey,"
While impacts of recent floods and heavy rainfall have yet to be seen, initial surveys point towards a healthy population of quail and pheasant in southwest Iowa.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources recently wrapped up its listening surveys, which help indicate an initial bird population from spring quail whistle counts and rooster crow counts for pheasants and some grass and songbirds. Matt Dollison is a wildlife biologist with the Iowa DNR. Speaking on the latest "Outdoors in KMAland" segment, Dollison says that, at least in the immediate area, the surveys showed the population remaining strong following the winter.
"We heard more pheasants and quail than we have since 2014--all the years we've been doing the survey," said Dollison. "So, obviously it looks like a lot of birds survived the winter, which is good news. Now, it's all about nesting and how successful that is, which is really what drives the population."
A second round of listening sessions wrapped up near the beginning of July. Dollison says the listening survey is conducted through "point counts."
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