Forecasting Spatial Abundance of Northern Bobwhite in southern Texas using Roadside Surveys
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Most of my life was spent in a suburban area in Harlingen, TX, which is located in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. I come from a Hispanic household that has roots in Mexico. Frequently, my family and I went on weekend excursions to Mexico, enjoying our time away from city life in the US. These weekend excursions lead to my interest and appreciation of the natural world and the serenity of the outdoors. Aside from research, I spend my time fishing, hunting and birding along with the occasional plant identification.
Currently, I am pursing an M.S. in Range and Wildlife Management at Texas A&M University – Kingsville, which were I got my B.S. in Range and Wildlife Management. My research seeks to develop the relationship between landscape characteristics (i.e., rainfall, habitat and energy development) and quail abundance (quail per mile) at a regional scale and a site scale. From these relationships, we produce an annual quail forecast for the south Texas ecoregion, that predicts spatial bobwhite abundance for the upcoming quail season. Our quail forecast can be implemented by adjusting quail harvest on hunting leases and evaluating bobwhite habitat management for a given pasture or property.