Last week we were sitting in the family room and noticed a quail pair walking by with about 10 itty bitty babies, they were so stinkin' adorable!
I snuck out on the deck as quietly as I could with my camera, they spooked and scattered underneath the deck. The parents chirped and called to them and they eventually all came out and made their way out to the front yard. Hard to capture the fast moving babies with my standard lens but hopefully it gives you an idea of their size.
Quail family visit daily now, 3 times they walked through when I was gardening the other day. Got some shots of them first thing in the morning and then later when I went inside to have lunch, I used my telephoto lens to shoot them through the glass sliding door as they came by again. When I was outside later, I spooked a couple of babies under a shrub and had to move away so momma could round them up and then the dad flew up on the shed looking for them, calling them with soft chirps. The little ones have gotten a bit bigger and fluffier since last week.
Sure enjoy watching them!
Some interesting facts on the California Quail (Callipepla californica) that I found on http://www.allaboutbirds.org/:
Several California Quail broods may mix after hatching, and all the parents care for the young.
California Quail nests can contain as many as 28 eggs. These large clutches may be the result of females laying eggs in nests other than their own, a behavior known as "egg-dumping."
The California Quail is California’s state bird and has had roles in several Walt Disney movies, including "Bambi."
And I love their calls, the main call consists of three syllables and sounds like the bird is saying Chi-ca-go. You can listen to the calls here:
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/g...
Got a baby head count this morning, there are 9! That's a lot of family to keep track of!
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