North Hempstead Raising Quails To Fight Tick Population

The Town of North Hempstead has a plan to fight against the tick population, and it includes Quail eggs.

A small batch of Northern Bobwhite Quail eggs are currently being incubated at the North Hempstead TV Studio in Westbury.

• The birds even have their own “Qual Cam.” Watch live here.

The birds are expected to hatch this weekend and will then be kept in the studio for another two weeks. From there, they will be transferred to a park in Suffolk County where the will mature.

In July, the quails will be released in the Town’s 200 wooded acres across from North Hempstead Beach Park and along the Hempstead Trail Harbor where they will spend their time eating ticks.

“Lyme disease is a very serious condition caused by deer ticks, which are prevalent in wooded areas and grasslands all over Long Island,” Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth said in a press release.

The Northern Bobwhite Quail project is a pilot program designed by Ranger Eric Powers, the host of the NHTV’s nature show “Off the Trail.” The program looks to reduce the number of ticks naturally, instead of using toxic pesticides.

“The Town is constantly on the lookout for natural methods we can use to control disease-causing pests that do not involve using toxic chemicals,” Bosworth said. “The fact that we also get to raise the quail ourselves and enjoy watching the eggs hatch, well that is just part of the fun.”

Residents can also play a big part in reducing the tick population by keeping their cats inside.

“Cats take a massive toll on our ground-dwelling wildlife, such as Bobwhite Quail, which turns out to be our front line of defense against ticks,” Powers said. “So the biggest help anyone can do is to keep your cats inside. If the community wants my help re-establishing quail populations around Long Island to combat ticks then I need your help in return…please keep your cats inside.”

Powers also works with schools to incubate quails in classrooms. More info can be found here.

For more information call the Town’s 311 Call Center. North Hempstead TV can be found on Channels 18 or 63 on Cablevision or Channel 46 on Verizon, or visit www.myNHTV.com or www.youtube.com/townofnorthhempstead.

Image via TONH: Quail eggs are just a week away from hatching in this incubator at the NHTV studio.