DO NOT APPROACH FROM OR PARK ON THE NEARBY HIGHWAY! Daylight hours only, please! The MKT and Perche Creek Trails are open from 6 AM to 11 PM.
Welcome to the southern half of the Perche Creek Trail! Wildlife abounds, and this series will highlight a few birds spotted in nearby fields and woodlands.
A friend to farmers, the northern bobwhite (scientific name colinus virginianus) is identified by a mottled red-brown and white feathered body about eight to ten inches in length, an auburn cap, a black necklace and face stripes of white and dark brown. Males are more brightly adorned than the females. Their call is loud and distinctive: bob-WHITE!
Diet changes depending on the time of year. In cooler months, seeds are all the rave as the northern bobwhite roosts in conveys of five to thirty birds on the ground. Warmth is kept as they nestle together side by side in a circle with tails inward and heads outward. Spring and summer is a switch to insects as they bring up their number. This alternating feeding habit limits the growth of weeds and pests that can harm agriculture.
Brushy areas, grasslands, farms and pine woods are all home to the northern bobwhite. But you will be hard pressed to see them! These smaller birds keep out of sight as they are a favored prey for many predators of the land and sky.
No additional work is needed on your part to find the hidden container other than a keen set of eyes. Please be stealthy when finding, signing and returning the cache.
Permission to hide this cache was granted by the City of Columbia Parks and Recreation Department.
Afowl of Perche Creek Series
Great Blue Heron | Killdeer | Northern Bobwhite
Red-Winged Blackbird | Snipe (Bonus) | Wild Turkey