I saw California quail on the U.W. campus near the Burke-Gilman trail in
1983. They were by the Pend Oreille gatehouse behind McMahon Hall. I
haven't seen or heard them since. I also saw pheasants at Sand Point
Student Housing--right where the daycare center is now,--also around
1983-1984. I bet they don't migrate through anymore. The increasing
(human) population density and increased building in the area may also
contribute to the decrease in these birds.


On Tue, 2 Aug 1994, Dan Victor wrote:

> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Tue, 2 Aug 1994 09:23:40 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Charles Easterberg <easterbg at u.washington.edu>
>
> When I first came to Seattle 25 years ago, california quail were common in
> the city and at the University. Over about 5 years, we trapped and
> removed over 100 feral cats from campus, including several road kills.
> However, several people feed cats regularly and systematically, and in the
> period of time this has gotten well under way, quail have disappeared from
> campus; I haven't heard one for years. Simililarly, I rarely hear a quail
> on the way to work along the Burke Gilman trail or in my neighborhood
> anymore. I suspect a big boom in cats as pets today vs two-three decades
> ago. Dogs are almost invariably confined to urban yards unless the owner
> wants to lose them, and could not be a significant cause of urban quail
> mortality. Cats, however, due to their independent and roving nature,
> rarely seem to do well confined to homes, although I know a couple which
> won't set paw 1 outdoors.
>
> I am concluding that where man goes with his cats, the quail is a certain
> casualty.
>
>
>
>