Its fair to say I like my quail in the long grass giving it large with their ‘wet-my-lips’ call – I have actually seen quail only a few times in the wild, but heard them innumerable times. They are just so hard to see! So please for Christmas I’d really like to see a quail in the wild on a farm near me this coming spring, around my birthday at the end of April, when they return from sub-Saharan Africa – thanks! (is that too much to ask?)
Another sub-Saharan migrant is the turtle dove its down in the Sahelian region of Africa spending the Christmas before returning here in around May. There’s a lot been written about turtle doves on this blog and rightly so, as this icon of Christmas (although it’s off spending it Christmas in sunnier parts) is in real trouble.
Yep there is only one turtle dove in this picture (I can hear your internal dialogue now) - that’s because there are only nine left today to every 100 there were around in the 70s - so there isn't enough to make up two, so you'll have to do with one!
So when I wake up on Christmas morning and hear the twelve days of Christmas blasting out from a merry car stereo, I will be wondering if there will be enough turtle doves to even make up two in the future.
Once widespread in southern Britain, the turtle dove population – which is currently estimated at 14,000 pairs - is now balancing on a knife-edge in the UK, with nearly 60 per cent lost in the five years to 2010. Whilst we are at it, that partridge in a pear tree is in a spot of bother too. The UK grey partridge population is estimated to be around 43,000 pairs, but this too has fallen, by 30 per cent over the same period.
Now I must admit I’m not sure what a French hen is but let’s say it’s a quail (quick web search it’s actually not that but a breed of French chicken). Through Operation Turtle Dove, RSPB advisers are helping farmers like John and Ellie Savory help their turtle doves as well as grey partridge and a range of other wildlife down on the farm like ground beetles and butterflies.
Norfolk Quail is the newly established business of John and Ellie Savory, who according to their website have more than 12 years experience in the poultry industry and have recently expanded their repertoire to the production of quail meat. A family business, set up to provide a local alternative to imported French quail meat (and where does that come from?), but for me what’s good is this is now a Conservation Grade product, meaning that John and Ellie manage their farm to provide for nature at the right scale and in the right places.
What is Conservation Grade? Well with my cupboards full of Jordan’s cereals and Allinson’s bread I’m a near expert on the matter! Conservation Grade is an independent accreditation organisation that facilitates commercial relationships between farmers and consumers – what does that mean....?.... the farmers get paid a premium on their product but must deliver 10% of their farmland area for farmland wildlife. That’s very good and I’m well happy to pay a bit more to make it happen, wildlife friendly toast or cereal for breakfast then and for Christmas lunch a nice quail perhaps from John and Ellie (not a wild one!) – I’m happy to support farmers doing the right things for wildlife, so they get some of my Christmas cheer.
You can find more about John and Ellie here: http://norfolkquail.co.uk/index.php
And Conservation Grade www.conservationgrade.org