On Sunday morning, August 22, 2021, I was at the barn filling up a bucket of water for the goats when suddenly I thought I heard a familiar whistle.
I quickly turned off the faucet and tilted my head in the direction from which the whistle came, waited, and another loud whistle followed. I dropped the bucket and ran to the house as quickly and quietly as possible to get Rett so that she could also hear it. “Come quickly!” I called to her. She ran to the door and I whispered for her to listen quietly, and sure enough, from the west, we heard the whistle of a Northern Bobwhite quail.
We both were thrilled for we have lived at Merry Mount for eight years, and this was the first Bobwhite that we had heard. We listened for several minutes joyously hearing several more whistles and then silence. For us, that whistle brought back memories of Loretta’s dad responding to a Bobwhite whistle at his small farm in Middle Tennessee. Robbie was a hunter, and he would respond with his version of the Bobwhite mating call. Within a few minutes, the Bobwhite would come closer and show himself.
Unfortunately, we have not heard it again. It is our hope that the Bobwhite will take up permanent residence in the fields that surround Merry Mount and will continue to whistle so that Eva, Joy, and Asa can begin to recognize the distinctive Bobwhite whistle.
CPW
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