For the last couple of weeks an obviously mated pair of California Quail has been hanging out in my back yard. Late yesterday afternoon, while I was hand-washing dishes (I don’t put everything in the dishwasher), I spotted both of them foraging in my vegetable garden. My camera and lens happened to be sitting on the kitchen table, so I grabbed my gear and hoped to get lucky with the quail.
1/4000, f/6.3, ISO 640, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Within seconds of me getting the male in my viewfinder, all hell broke out in my back yard. All the birds in my Catalpa trees and huge grapevine gave out alarm calls and quickly disappeared. At the same moment, both quail made a mad dash across my garden toward the cover beneath my grapevine.
This is the male, running fast across my garden. I got this one sharp shot with him looking toward me as his topknot was bobbing wildly.
1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 640, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
I didn’t get the female in my viewfinder until she was nearly to the grapevine. Immediately after this shot was taken, both quail disappeared in the flowerbed at the base of the grapevine.
Seconds later a Cooper’s Hawk that was obviously hunting for dinner landed in another part of the huge grapevine. A split second before I got my lens on ‘him’, he took off for parts unknown. All I got was three shots of the vacated vine.
I’m hoping that the quail will be nesting beneath my storage shed. They’ve done it at least twice in the past.
Ron
When I lived in Saint Helena, CA (Napa Valley) our house was surrounded by vineyards. California Quail were often seen in our yard and one year they nested under our tool shed. They moved their babies so all I ever saw was the parents leading them and the grass moving as they ran along. It was still exciting!
Laurie, their babies are the epitome of ‘cute’. But then most precocial baby birds are. It’s another story for the baby altricial birds.
So exciting to have the quail select your yard for raising their babies! This couple definitely knows a good person when they see one!
Happy Earth Day, everyone! 🌱
Thanks, Marty. Happy Earth Day to you too.
Lucky, lucky you. I hope they do nest in your yard/area again.
Love that bobbing topknot.
EC, I’ve always loved their topknot. It’s so out of control it can rob them of their dignity, which I find delightful.
What fun to have quail in your back yard. I only have seen the California Quail in the BigHorn Mountains when I was driving around. Never known them to nest in someones back yard. You are so Lucky!
They’ve nested in my neighbor’s yard too, Trudy. Some years we’ve had little quail puffballs running around all over the neighborhood.
We’re fortunate to have dozens of Gambel Quail in our neighborhood. Absolutely love watching them scurry about. And the babies – nothing cuter!! One year had a nest on my front porch! Watched it everyday for the babies to arrive and had to change my coming and goings through the garage so I didn’t disturb mama quail. Funny how they don’t really fly much – they prefer to scurry 🙂
“they prefer to scurry.”
They sure do, Kathleen. And they scurry fast! Those little legs can really go.
I hope your quail nest too, the chicks are so darn cute. I love to watch them in my yard. I have a lot of quail year round. Not as many as we use too. 20 years ago we had easily 60+ but now usually 8-12. The city cleaned out Red Butte gully and the LDS church re-landscaped, cleaned out all the undergrowth thus removing most of the quail’s cover and safe night roosting locations. I also feel too much insecticide is used by many of my neighbors and the LDS church. I still have one Cooper’s and one Sharp-shinned hawk daily in my yard. I think the mates must be on nests. Did the hummingbird you saw stay in your yard. The one I had left with the heavy rain storm we had a couple of days after he arrived. I have not even heard one flying nearby since.
April, I haven’t seen another hummer since that one on the 14th. I’ve been looking hard for them too. Changed the nectar in my feeder this morning, just in case…
Nothing sweeter than nesting birds in your own backyard.
Yup.
Fun! Good “watch birds” it seems…….. 😉 Hopefully you don’t have a lot of outdoor cats in the neighborhood.
There’s a few outdoor cats, Judy. But not nearly as many as there used to be.
What happiness to have for a kitchen window view and to know you’re providing shelter– I don’t think there’s anything more enchanting than a quail family !
Kris, I can see the garden, my regular feeder and my hummingbird feeder from my kitchen window. I probably spend more time washing dishes than I really need to… 🙂
We have Gambel’s Quail here Ron and like you have had little chicks everywhere from time to time. Always scary to see the Cooper’s arrive on scene, but I always remind myself that they too must eat and feed their chicks.
Nice shots of the Quail.
Thanks, Everett. I’ve seen Gambel’s Quail in southern Utah but not up here, although I believe there are a few.
California Quail in your yard and nesting. Now that’s pretty nice.
A couple of field guide suitable shots you got there.
Michael, a couple of years in the past I’ve had quail chicks running all over my back yard and garden. I’d love to have that happen again.