Quails Get Released Into The Wild In North Hempstead [VIDEO]

They may be absolutely adorable, but these young quails mean business. The quails were released into wooded areas in North Hempstead to spend their days as professional tick exterminators.

About 50 onlookers of all ages watched the birds soar away into the wild on Wednesday, July 26.

The quails were released in the Town’s 200 wooded acres across from North Hempstead Beach Park and along the Hempstead Trail Harbor where they will spend their time eating ticks.

North Hempstead is the first municipality on Long Island to successfully conduct a “quail pilot program” that will combat disease-carrying ticks, without the use of pesticides.

Watch the birds get released below:

In May, more than 1,000 people watched North Hempstead’s quails hatch live on NHTV’s QuailCam.

“Lyme disease is a very serious condition caused by deer ticks, which are prevalent in wooded areas and grasslands all over Long Island,” Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth said in a press release.

The Northern Bobwhite Quail project is a pilot program designed by Ranger Eric Powers, the host of the NHTV’s nature show “Off the Trail.” The program looks to reduce the number of ticks naturally, instead of using toxic pesticides.

Residents can also play a big part in reducing the tick population by keeping their cats inside.

“Cats take a massive toll on our ground-dwelling wildlife, such as Bobwhite Quail, which turns out to be our front line of defense against ticks,” Powers said. “So the biggest help anyone can do is to keep your cats inside. If the community wants my help re-establishing quail populations around Long Island to combat ticks then I need your help in return…please keep your cats inside.”

Read more about how the quails will fight the tick population here.

Local officials helped released the quails into the wild, including Council Member Lee Seeman, Council Member Anna Kaplan, Powers, Council Member Peter Zuckerman, Bosworth, Council Member Dina De Giorgio and Town Clerk Wayne Wink.

Images via TONH

• Image 1: Quail ready to be released on the Hempstead Harbor Trail.
  
• Image 2: Council Member Lee Seeman, Council Member Anna Kaplan, Biologist Ranger Eric Powers, Council Member Peter Zuckerman, Supervisor Judi Bosworth, Council Member Dina De Giorgio and Town Clerk Wayne Wink release the quails.