nature, Photography

Quail, Quail …

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… wherefore art thou, quail?

Ever hard to see because they are so small and have such fantastic camouflage, they also have the additional advantage of being amazingly quick. They will bolt at the slightest movement from a human, so getting photos can be a challenge.

While walking today I came upon a number of them scratching in the dirt along with their buddies, the mallard ducks. The instant they heard me they scattered, running and flying for dear life, but after I stood absolutely still, they returned.

As quietly as I could, I crept closer while fishing my cell phone out of my pocket; unfortunately, I had no other camera with me.

In the front left corner you can see a couple of ducks; the quail seem to get on well with them and I often see them eating and hanging out together. The ducks are much larger but of course they’re all vegetarians!

I find them so cute with their little head feathers and the way they constantly chat with each other. I’ve noticed that the ducks seem to be more contentedly verbal and relaxed when the quail are nearby, too. It’s very true that all of us do better when we have a friend or two.

Happy Thursday.

26 thoughts on “Quail, Quail …”

  3. I love the cute sounds the quail make, we have them in the Mojave Desert too! I think some folks call them California Quail or Gambles’ Quail. ❤️😊

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    1. Yes, I often hear them – especially their distinctive warning calls – before seeing them. These are in fact California quail. They were introduced to Washington in the 1890s and then made their way here where they have adapted well. There are huge coveys of them everywhere.

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        1. Thank you very much and you’re very welcome. Yes, they have an interesting history. Parts of this area are classified as semi-arid desert and our winters are very temperate. They fit right in with the wine grapes. 😊

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  4. A good day for quail Lynette. The quail in Alberta stay in the South, so have not seen any up here. Love their little formal head decorations. Happy Thursday. Allan

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    1. Thanks, Allan. According to farmers I knew when I lived in southern Alberta, all the quail there were farmed because they are unlikely to survive the winters. Those were the bobwhite quail, though. Maybe there is another type that has been introduced? Yes, those little comma-shaped feathers are so cute.

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    1. A couple of years back we were dog sitting for a friend while we were on a break in the Okanagan – this was a big NWT dog – and when she stuck her nose near a bush about 100 quail burst out with their alarm calls going. Both of us nearly had heart attacks. They are incredibly cute but yes, very skittish. One of my photographic goals is to get a really good set of quail pictures.

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    1. So do I. Their family groups are apparently very tight and can consist of up to 100 members sharing the duties. Yes, they have lots of chicks – sometimes as many as three clutches a year of about 12 eggs each – because as you can imagine those little ones are extremely tempting to lots of predators. They are one of the few species whose babies are born with the ability to run, apparently within minutes of hatching. They are amazing little birds!

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      1. Before the dog walkers from the nearby subdivision inundated our area, we used to have so many quail they moved across our yard like a living carpet of birds. No quail left here now. Such a shame. But I’m happy to see that they still thrive in the Okanagan.

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  8. What a lovely surprise. Glad your quietness and patience paid off and you were able to sneak in some pictures, even if they were from your phone. They turned out quite well, especially the ones of them by the water.

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    1. It sure was, Linda. Thank you. I am often surprised at how well cell phone cameras will do, particularly within a certain range. A photographic goal I have is to get a good set of photos of them, but they’re not easy to capture.

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  10. That is a nice sighting of a bird with a remarkable headdress. We have a much less showy species of quail on this side of the pond (Coturnix coturnix) but it’s incredibly elusive. I vaguely recall seeing one in Croatia, and that’s about it.

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    1. Thank you very much, Adele. I frequently see them running from bush to bush but usually they’re so quick that I can’t get anything approaching a decent picture. I watch for instances where they’re hanging out with the ducks and then I might have better opportunities. A photographic goal of mine is to get a good set of quail pictures. Agreed – some birds are extremely elusive and very difficult to get photos of them.

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