I don't deny that we kill insects with our insecticides, buzz, we do. It is a necessity to feed the world. What I was talking about was secondary kill. Many years ago there were insecticides that were so bad that the insects that were killed by spraying would kill birds, when eaten by them. They are no longer used, and haven't been for many years. But, most of the general public thinks they are still in widespread use.
Don't know about fescue, I'm too far South for it, but I have heard it creates a desert for quail. Of course, so does bermuda grasses, of which there are hundreds of thousands of acres in the South for cattle grazing in warm season. Again, people want protein.
Doves aren't a replacement for quail, by any means. But, it is what it is. People will be fed and clothed. If I can have a choice between planting land in peanuts or pine plantation, as far as wildlife habitat goes, it'll be the peanuts every time. I have seen two coveys of wild quail in one 42 acre peanut field in late summer, in the last few years, eating bugs. Contrary to popular belief, we don't spray to kill every bug that is out there. Quail don't only eat aphids, grasshoppers and worms (larvae), but many beneficial insects which we try to protect.
Not trying to be argumentative, but just present the facts as I see them from a daily working relationship with the land and the wildlife.
All my best, SRH
