Quail are just one of the many species of birds that thrive in our west coast location. We have quail families that inhabit our gardens year after year with Mom & Dad quail raising at least two broods each summer. They are so entertaining to watch as they scurry over the lawn herding and protecting their wee ones.
Often the male is seen perched high above keeping a watchful eye out for predators – the other morning we caught sight of both parents keeping an eye on their young as they grazed for bugs and seeds in the gardens below.
The close up I tried for didn’t really work out, the bright sun washed them out but I am including it anyway just to show them a little bit bigger.
No sooner had I taken this one and female flew down to be with her babies (we had counted 12 in the first days of spotting them and now it appears to be down to 6 left). They are somewhat hard to see but they were all there keeping close to each other!
It is really sweet when the whole family runs along in row on top of the fence and then take turns flying off to the ground! Pure pleasure!
