About this project
Involve yourself in the discovery of the wonder of the living world! Help marry the world of science to the world of art!
Your support will allow us to share with you, through blog, photographic, video and audio posts, our adventures as we seek to discover the world of the Elegant Quail, Callipepla douglasii. Unlike its close relatives (congeners), the Elegant Quail’s entry in the Encyclopedia of Life is almost blank (http://www.eol.org/pages/1047230). By contributing to this project you will support a study of this little known species as we examine its behavior and evolution in its natural habitat, a space encroached upon by both urban sprawl and tension surrounding narcotics trafficking.
There are economic and conservation reasons to study the Elegant Quail. This species is valuable to birders and hunters and it depends on habitats adjacent to and overlapping regions of expanding human habitation. However—more than anything—the study of this, as with other living species, expands, deepens and enriches all our lives.
As field biologists, we look at human society through the eyes of scientists that have touched the world of the nonhuman and have been altered by it. By using our abilities as artists and writers to document our work in the field, we aim to communicate the sensation of being in a place where the human and nonhuman meet.
This project represents an alternative approach to the study of nonhuman species. While we will contribute to the scientific understanding we will also generate an entirely different sort of understanding—one that exists outside of the constraints of science. The piece of literature and photography we create will speak to our condition as humans, to our very human relationship to the earth and to our relationship of other creatures who share our same physical landscape.
By engaging an artistic approach we work to heal the divide between science and art and communicate the mystery of these birds clearly to the readers and viewers.
What, Specifically, Do We Plan To Do?
If funded, we will travel to Sinaloa, Mexico where we will be met by local experts who will help us locate populations of the elegant quail. While we are there we will observe the quail and record their vocalizations. We will also record the habitat and collect artifacts relevant to the quail/human relationship. We will trap individual elegant quail and take measurements, feather or blood samples (for DNA analysis) and photographs of each individual. We will also band birds so that, during observations, we can develop a record of individual behavior and social relationships. During this time, we will post blog entries with photographs and audio so that readers can accompany us on our journey. When we return, we will analyze our data, compare our results to what we have learned about other species of Callipepla quail while continuing to regularly update our blog posts. Our interpretation of the experience will both be a scientific analysis of the data and a literary and multimedia exploration.
What Will Result From This Work
The physical products of this work will include the online documentation of the field work (at http://thequaildiaries.wordpress.com), photographic prints, artifacts and the final, full-color, book. This project will also result in papers published in peer-reviewed scientific journals and talks given at scientific conferences. AND we will fill in that nearly blank entry in the Encyclopedia of Life (http://www.eol.org/pages/1047230). By funding this research you will make a direct contribution to scientific study at a time when funding has been drastically reduced, especially for basic field studies of the behavior and evolution of vertebrate species. Our preliminary work, funded by YOU, will provide the foundation for future studies of the elegant quail.
What Will The Funds Be Used For
The funds will go to pay for travel, local support and equipment for two weeks of scientific, literary and photographic work in Mexico, and printing costs for 100 copies of a full color text
Please contact us if you want to support the project but would rather not pay online
FAQ
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Funding Successful
This project successfully raised its funding goal on December 24, 2010.
Pledge $5 or more Pledge $5 or more
Good wishes and a Quail Diairies postcard delivered to your door.
Pledge $10 or more Pledge $10 or more
All of the above plus a pair of brightly colored, field-seasoned, leg bands
Pledge $45 or more Pledge $45 or more
All of the above plus one 8X10 print of an image from either The Quail Diaries: Fire Series or The Quail Diaries: In Search of the Elegant Quail.
Pledge $75 or more Pledge $75 or more
All of the above AND a handwritten and illustrated page detailing a remarkable field experience from one of the two scientists
Pledge $100 or more Pledge $100 or more
All of the above AND the chance to adopt and name a quail
Pledge $250 or more Pledge $250 or more
All of the above AND dinner and discussion with the scientists (this is for Southern California or Seattle residents. Other locales plan for travel fees)
Pledge $500 or more Pledge $500 or more
All of the above AND a guided local walk with the scientists (this is for Southern California or Seattle residents. Other locales plan for travel fees)
Pledge $750 or more Pledge $750 or more
All of the above AND a field experience where you will visit with a Callipepla species up close and personal (this is for Southern California residents. Other locales plan for travel fees)
Project By
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Jennifer Gee and Jennifer Calkins are evolutionary field biologists with extensive expertise in the study of quail. They have, in their individual capacities as scientists, conducted field work in temperate, desert, tropical and island habitats and lab work in molecular and developmental laboratories. They have published in a variety of peer-reviewed publications including the species account for California quail in the Birds of North America, a primary source of information for scientists and birders. Dr. Calkins also has an MFA in creative writing and has published a book as well as many articles, poetry and prose pieces. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Les Figues Press and has been posting on her Quail Diaries blog since 2008 (http://thequaildiaries.wordpress.com).
