The Bobwhite of Rondeau Provincial Park
An attentive ear from a long-time cottager picked up the unfamiliar whistle while returning from the beach at Rondeau Provincial Park. ‘What’s the matter?’ I say. ‘Oh nothing, just a bird call I’ve never heard before’ she says while scanning the horizon leading out to Lake Erie. Then it appeared. Perched high on the dune, head cocked back, letting out a beautiful whistle with an upward pitch. After returning to the cottage we quickly looked up the unidentified fowl in a book of North American birds found in most cottages. The Northern Bobwhite! Colinus Virginianus, the Virginian quail, or Northern Bobwhite, has been in sharp decline throughout the past half-century, likely owing to habitat loss and changes in agriculture, and they are an increasingly high priority for conservation. When we inquired about the bird at the Rondeau visitor centre, we were told it was a male, the only one in the park, and had been there roughly two months. Likely coming from a nearby farm, she said.
