Hi tweets,

I saw a recent eBird report of Northern Bobwhite on Orcas Island, and
wanted to share some information about their status there. About two years
ago, a non-birding friend who lives on the island sent me an audio
recording of a Bobwhite that he had been hearing at his property near West
Sound. Since then, I've learned that someone in the Crow Valley area was
raising captive Bobwhite, and I believe had a substantial number of them
escape some time in the last few years. This doesn't necessarily mean that
any Bobwhite on the island came from that location, but it does provide a
possible explanation for their origin.

Bobwhite were formerly established in the San Juan Islands after being
released there, but I believe there was a long gap between the last records
of that established population, and the few recent reports in the last
couple years.

Good birding,
Matt Dufort
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