As with all reports of rare and scarce birds they are subject to ratification by the respective rarities committees

Quail is a summer visitor in fluctuating numbers to S. Gloucestershire, those reported are;

1942:

On June 14th the characteristic "whit-whi-whit" call (emphasis on first and last syllables) was heard, apparently from two birds, in fields between Patchway Common and Savage's Wood. One calling in the same place on the 15th June was stalked and finally flushed from long mowing grass. There was no subsequent evidence to show that a pair remained to breed; On December 28th an extraordinary occurrence is that of a bevy of seven, reported as seen by two observers, at Elberton. The birds, described as being like small sandy-brown Partridges with similar flight, were disturbed at close quarters from the outskirts of a recently planted cornfield, and on alighting some seventy yards out were at once, despite the lack of cover, quite impossible to see. 'When approached later from two directions simultaneously, they again got up and, flying low, disappeared over an adjoining hedgerow. The failure of these birds to migrate may perhaps be attributed to the abnormally mild weather from September onwards.

1943:

The "whit-whi-whit" call was noted on two occasions on the north side of Marshfield in June; And a bird being heard in a clover crop at Downthorns Farm on the 17th June.

1944:

Reported from several widely separated localities. In S. Gloucestershire calling was heard at Dyrham and Pucklechurch on a number of dates from late May to the third week of July, and in the Marshfield and Cold Ashton area on various occasions in June, while a pair was found breeding at Stoke Gifford in August. The presence of birds at the latter place was not detected until the characteristic call was heard on the unusually late date of August 14th breeding being confirmed on the 16th August when two adults and five or six halt-fledged young were seen in a thin oat crop. Calling continued until the 18th August or later.

1945:

A bird was calling daily in a wheat crop at Little Stoke Farm near Stoke Gifford, from May 30th to June 5th. It was not heard subsequently.

1947:

Several were reported from the Dyrham area in late July.

1949:

Heard and seen at Pucklechurch in the last week in May; Calling was heard, and a pair put up near Marshfield on June 19th .

1950:

Two were reported from the Wick area in early August.

1951:

A bird was heard calling from a bean field near Aust on August 5th.

1952:

Calling was heard near Dyrham on various occasions between June 26th and July 20th, and a bird was flushed on August 25th, but no direct evidence of breeding; One was seen in stubble field near Aust on August 17th.

1953:

One was heard, and subsequently flushed from a grass crop at Little Stoke on June 29th; Half a dozen or more calling birds were located on the outskirts of Marshfield in the first three weeks of July and calling was heard in various widely separated fields on several occasions from the 3rd - I9th July.

1956:

Single birds were seen or heard near Marshfield on July 22nd, 25th and 31st.

1958:

Two birds were heard calling near Marshfield on June 12th.

1959:

One was heard calling near Marshfield on July 2nd.

1960:

One was heard calling in oat crop at Hawkesbury Upton on May 22nd; In the Marshfield area: nest and eggs were found during mowing operations in June; One was heard and seen on June 18th; And two were seen together flying low over corn crop, July 10th.

1961:

Reported from the Marshfield area: One was heard calling on June 15th and this, or another was heard on June 21st.

1962:

At least three calling males in the Marshfield area on the 12th June with a further two on the 29th June.

1963:

One heard calling from the Marshfield area on June 8th with at least three calling from the same place on August 6th.

1964:

Two were heard calling in the Marshfield area on June 24th; One in the same area on July 23rd and one seen on July 24th.

1965:

Reported from the Marshfield area; One heard calling on July 14th.

1966:

Reported from the Marshfield area; One on June 28th with a further two on the 3rd July.

1967:

Reported from the Marshfield area; Males were heard calling on the 5th July but no numbers available.

1968:

Reported from the Marshfield area; Calling males were noted on June 16th and July 25th.

1969:

Reported from the Tormarton/ Marshfield/ Toghill area; where one or two were heard calling from the 26th - 28th June.

1970:

Twenty-seven were heard calling in the Marshfield/ Tormarton area in June; And eight were heard calling at Marshfield on the 16th July.

1971:

Three or four were reported from the Marshfield area on the 13th June and the 20th July.

1972:

Several heard in the Marshfield/ Tormarton area in June and July.

1973:

A single male was heard calling on the 4th July in the Marshfield area.

1974:

One or two were heard calling in the Marshfield area on the 3rd June.

1975:

One was heard near Tormarton and up to eight were heard near Marshfield during the breeding season.

1976:

Up to five males were heard calling at Marshfield between the 14th - 22nd July.

1977:

Breeding season reports of several birds calling in the Marshfield area.

1979:

Up to eleven birds were heard and one was seen in the  Marshfield area sometime in July.

1980:

Up to seven were calling in the Marshfield area sometime in August.

1983:

Two or three males were heard calling on four occasions between the 22nd June and the 21st July in the Marshfield area.

1986:

Single birds were heard calling in the Tormarton area on the 12th and 20th July.

1987:

One was heard calling at West Littleton Down on the 24th May; Several were heard calling near Marshfield on the 22nd and 28th June; Eight were heard calling in the Marshfield area on the 3rd and 10th July with seven on the 13th July. It was considered that the July totals represented twelve to fourteen territories.

1988:

Several males were heard calling in the Marshfield area on the 11th and 17th July.

1989:

Up to twenty-five males were heard calling in the Marshfield area between the 27th May and the 4th August with at least ten sightings.

1990:

Around eleven males were heard calling in the area from Marshfield to West Littleton from June the 15th until July 22nd.; A calling male was heard near Horton on the 13th June; And a calling male was heard at Hawksbury on the 18th July.

1991:

One was flushed from the edge of a Barley field on the 29th June near Old Sodbury; A male was heard calling in the Marshfield area on the 22nd July.

1992:

Two were heard calling at West Littleton Down on the 18th May and the 2nd August; Two were noted at Horton on the 25th May; One was noted at Hawksbury Upton on the 12th June; Up to three males were heard calling in the Marshfield area between the 21st June and the 28th July.

1993:

One was heard calling on the 17th July at West Littleton; One was heard calling on the 16th and 28th July in the Marshfield area.

1994:

A male was heard calling in the Marshfield area on the 19th and 20th May; A probable migrant was near Pucklechurch on the 20th May; There were up to ten males holding territory in the West Littleton and Marshfield areas during June and July; A male was heard calling near the A46 at Horton on the 29th June.

1995:

Males were heard calling in the Marshfield area on the 23rd and 31st May; In the West Littleton and Marshfield area there were up to twelve male holding territory during Jun and July; At West Littleton Farm a reported sixteen birds were present, including a pair with three young on August 7th and nine were flushed at the same site on September the 8th during harvesting; At Grickstone Farm near Horton five males were heard calling on the 19th June and three male and a female were heard at the same site on the 28th June.

1996:

One was heard at West Littleton Down on the 8th May; Two were calling from Grickstone Farm near Little Sodbury during the summer.

1997:

In the Marshfield and West Littleton area calling males were first noted on the 30th May with six territories from West Littleton and seven from Marshfield. In the Marshfield area at least five birds were seen in a recently cut field on the evening of the 20th August and four were still calling from an uncut field on the 22nd August; A male was heard calling at Rockhampton on the 30th May; Two males were heard calling near the A46 at Horton.

1998:

In the Marshfield and West Littleton area calling males were first noted on the 8th June just north of Marshfield, subsequently reported on seven dates up to August 7th with a maximum of three birds on five different occasions; A single bird was flushed on the 16th June and one heard on the 25th June at Beek's Lane near Marshfield; Two were seen in flight on the 3rd July and three ere heard calling on the 10th August near West Littleton; Five were heard calling from a wheat field near Horton on the 15th June.

1999:

In the Marshfield and West Littleton area a calling male were first noted on the 30th May; One was reported in the same area on the 16th June and another on the 23rd June; Two males were heard calling at the same site on the 7th and 8th July.

2000: (c. 5)

One was flushed from a field at West Littleton Down on the 15th May; Two were heard on the 19th and 20th June  and three were noted on the 25th June at Bodkin Hazel Wood near Horton.

2001: (5)

One male was heard calling near Marshfield on the 13th June; One was heard calling on the 23rd June at West Littleton Down; Two were heard calling on the 25th June and one on the 30th July at West Littleton Down.

2002: (5)

Three were noted on the 8th June in the Marshfield area with a further two on the 20th June on of which was still present on the 25th June.

2003: (2)

Two were heard calling from cereal fields near Horton on the 13th June.

2004: (c. 30)

Most reports come from the 'Marshfield Triangle' of calling males. One at Tormarton on the 1st June; One on the 5th July at West Littleton Down; One on the 6th July at Marshfield; Four on the 23rd July at Marshfield; Two on the 28th July at Marshfield; One on the 29th July at West Littleton Down; Fourteen on the 31st July at Marshfield; Three on the 3rd August at Marshfield; Four on the 5th August at Marshfield; Three on the 6th August at Marshfield; Three on the 12th August at Marshfield.

2006:(8)

Up to six calling males were hear near Marshfield on the evening of the 30th June at ST: 781 749; A bird was flushed at Orchard Pools near Severn Beach on the morning of the 16th July and is the first Severnside record for this species; One was heard in the 'Marshfield' area on August 7th.

2007: (5)

On July 11th two were heard calling near Marshfield off Downs Road at ST: 792 744 with at least one still present on July 12th; One was heard calling near Marshfield between 14:00 and 15:00 on July 19th in weedy fields on the east side of Tormarton Road at ST: 786 749; On August 5th two were reported to the east of Tormarton Lane, one just north of the farm opposite the east end of Rushmead Lane one just to the south.

2008: (c. 12)

One was heard very briefly at around 09:30 on May 18th 200 metres south of Rushmead Farm near Marshfield in loosely sown Charlock east of the Tormarton Road. At least one was heard in the same area on May 19th with at least three early afternoon on May 20th, two on May 21st at the same site; One was heard calling at Northfield Lane Marshfield on May 21st; One was heard singing on June 8th around 16:00 between Plough Farm and Shirehill Farm near Marshfield at ST: 792 763; One was heard singing on June 10th in fields 200 metres north of Rushmead Farm at Marshfield east of the Tormarton Road; One was heard singing in fields opposite the east end of Rushmead Lane at Marshfield on June 20th early morning and presumed same bird calling from Rushmead Flash field at 16:40 on June 21 at ST: 785 753 on the corner of Rushmead Lane and Tormarton Road; At least two were heard singing in fields to the west of Down Road at Marshfield on June 28th and again on July 3rd; Two calling from the fields east of the Tormarton Road 200 metre south of Rushmead Farm audible from the road on July 2nd and 4th; Three were present at Marshfield on July 12th; one heard in fields north of Down Track off Down Road and two in fields opposite Newhouse Farm two hundred metres north of Rushmead Farm; One heard in the top fields east of Shirehill Farm on July 13th;Three heard in fields north of Down Track off Down Road at Marshfield on July 13th and 15th with one present on the 16th July;