This is a Gilded Flicker on our birdbath. I was excited to see I had captured this photo. Maybe I’ll use this in the future for a Bird of the Week challenge that I’m posting on Wednesdays.
I’m out of energy taking care of my husband post surgery. He’s not very demanding, but I’m trying to make things as easy as possible for him. He’s going to Physical Therapy already and I’m driving, which if you read my previous posts, you know is not my favorite thing to do!
For today’s post, I’m using some of my favorite photos I took this week. And I am going to be light on words.
Papa Gambel’s quail with a little one in tow.
Another Harris’s antelope squirrel practicing heat dumping, which is how they cool down. He was close to the window looking straight at me and my camera.
A Brown-Headed Cowbird made his first visit to our backyard. The Mourning Doves seem fascinated with the newcomer.
Our largest cuckoo, this bird is characterized by a long tail, streaked appearance, frequently erected shaggy crest, and a blue and orange bare patch of skin behind the eyes. It is capable of running very rapidly across the ground (15 mph) and rarely flies. Like all cuckoos, the Roadrunner is a zygodactyl bird (it has 2 toes pointing forward and 2 toes backward). –Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
Roadrunners are found in Southwest United States and Northern Mexico. They prefer arid semi-arid areas. They do not migrate, maintaining territories in California, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and parts of Utah, Colorado, and Mexico.
They eat mostly animals, anything they can catch including rodents, lizards, scorpions, frogs and birds and eggs. Fruit, seeds and other plant material make up for 10% of their diet.
Momma quail with a few babies. We have three different quail families visiting our backyard every day. The tiniest ones are a family with three babies. I spotted them for the first time Friday. They are so adorable! Then there is a family with seven babies and one with eight.
Aren’t they cute?
Today we left the house at 5:15 a.m. to take my husband to surgery. I spent Sunday stressing about it. Not only am I worried about him, I’m worried about my own anxiety getting out of control. I have to drive him home from surgery, plus to follow up appointments and PT. I’m not a fan of driving here and once in a while I get a bout of driving anxiety. I think I’m talking myself into it as I sit and worry.
Hence, I’m focusing on cute baby quail.
Here’s to a speedy recovery for my husband and no driving anxiety for me!
These are birds and the squirrel that I photographed in the last week or two. I never get tired of watching and photographing them. I am not posting the quail babies or momma and papa quail, since Wednesday’s Bird of the Week was all about quail.
This is my favorite photo I’ve ever taken of Mrs. I posted it on a photography group I follow on Nextdoor and it was selected as the featured photo of the week. Someone commented and asked me how I knew it was a Mrs. and not a Mr. Well, as you can see Red looks a little bit different than Mrs. I think people who aren’t familiar with Northern Cardinals don’t recognize the female as one.
This is a Harris’s Antelope Squirrel heat dumping. Stretching out and lying on his tummy is how they cool down in the heat.
Our backyard bully, the Curve-Billed Thrasher.
Another bully bird, a Gila Woodpecker.
A House Finch resting on a cactus.
My second most favorite photo of Mrs. I love her olive-green color.
Red is wondering why he has to share birdseed with the squirrel.
I love Bonnie Raitt and this is a great song. I’ll never forget the news story in 2025 when she won her 13th Grammy for “Just Like That.” The reporter wrote about how an “unknown” won Song of the Year.
Happy Friday! What are your plans for this weekend?
Bird of the Week: CLXVI Gambel’s quail (Callipepla gambelii)
A male and female Gambel’s quail that I photographed in our backyard. Every day I enjoy watching quail because they have gregarious personalities. There’s something about their topnots bobbing up and down that not only make them stand out, but add to their silly look.
“Gambel’s quail have a chunky round body with a feather plume on their head. Males have a dark and thick plume, a black face, neck and also a black patch on the breast. Females have more dull and thin feather plumes and lack the black markings. Mature males have much more striking plumage than females.” —Arizona Sonora Desert Museum.
Gambel’s quail can be found throughout the southwest United States. Mature birds average eleven inches long and weigh from 5.1 to 6.5 ounces (160 to 200 grams.)
Here’s a link to Gambel’s Quail songs and calls from All About Birds.
We have a quail’s nest with 12 eggs in a planter of a succulents called elephant’s food. Unfortunately, the quail picked a busy place next to where our trash bins are stored. I moved our recycling into the garage, but our coming and going into the garbage storage area scared away the mom and dad. This is the second time this has happened to us. The other time, they picked a planter of elephant’s food next to the garage while we were on vacation. When we returned home with the car, those eggs were abandoned, too.
I was so excited a few days ago, to have baby quail visit our backyard with their mom and pop. I put out a birdseed block so the babies can get plenty of food. At this time, they aren’t able to fly up to our bird feeder. I have several families visiting in the morning and evenings.
Fun Quail Facts
A group of quail is called a “covey.”
A male quail will act as a sentinel standing guard over his covey from an elevated location. If he senses danger, he will call out loudly in warning.
Males and females pair for life.
The male has a top knot plume that is actually 6 feathers together, and is used to intimidate other males.
Their food of preference is wild bird seed, followed by uncooked rice or sunflower seeds.
Nests are mostly in pots or window boxes, and are made by hollowing out the nest in dirt.
There can be a total of seven to 28 eggs per nest, with the female laying one to two per day. It is common for two females to share a nest, which is called “egg dumping,” and the female only sits on the nest after all the eggs are laid.
Eggs are speckled brown and arranged in a neat oval called a “clutch.”
Incubation is 25 days at a temperature of 100 degrees, and eggs are turned often.
Before hatching the babies peep inside the egg.
They are born with a full coat of feathers, eyes wide open, and are able to feed themselves.
They all hatch on the same day and leave the nest immediately, usually in late May or June.
Chicks are able to leave the nest within hours of hatching, foraging with their parents, and are capable of flying short distances within a week
Quail couples can cohabitate and share the nest with a second couple.
The quail family with Momma, Papa and seven babies were right outside my window. But I didn’t see them. I was too busy taking pictures of Red. He was flitting from the cactus statue to the fire stick plant. His bright color captured my attention.
My husband sat down next to me and I said referring to Red, “Look out the window!”
“Itty bitties,” he said.
I thought he was referring to the handful of house sparrows darting to and from the birdbath.
He repeated himself and I finally looked and saw the quail babies! Our first family this Spring. I was thrilled!
I watched as a few daring babies wandered out of the group looking for food. Most stayed clumped together following mom and dad. I took a ton of photos, but they moved so fast only a few photos turned out. I love their cute little mohawks that someday will become topknots.
I checked our dozen eggs in a planter and they remain unhatched. I’m afraid the parents abandoned the nest after being frightened away.
A dozen quail eggs remain in a planter of elephant feed. I don’t have the heart to throw them out, in the slight chance the parents return.
In the meantime, I was so excited to have my first quail babies in our backyard. They waddled away and jumped through the fence into the wash behind our house. I hope the family returns and I get to practice taking photos of the itty bitty ones.
Have a wonderful weekend. What exciting plans do you have?
Every day I see this quail couple in my backyard. I feel sorry for the female, because she struggles to get around. She hops on one leg, while her bad foot or leg hangs useless. The good news? Her husband is always at her side. No more than an inch or two apart. He doesn’t leave her alone.
“I know I am in love with you because my reality is finally better than my dreams.” – Dr. Seuss
The quail couple reminds me of how well my husband has taken care of me this past year. From the time I fell trying to avoid two growling dogs on a trail around a lake, he walked me back to the cabin, supporting me the entire way. He immediately went to the store and came back with ice packs, Tylenol and ace bandages.
Next came ankle surgery, where he stayed by my side. More recently it was foot surgery, and yes, he’s been a great help to me. He’s even done grocery shopping which he can’t stand.
Now it’s my turn to take care of my husband who has a knee replacement coming up. I’ll be by his side, driving him to appointments and PT — even though I don’t like to drive. It’s what we do for each other. And yes, I’ve taken over the grocery shopping again.
Some species of quail, including California and the Gambel’s quail we have, often pair for life and work together to raise young. The Northern Cardinals are monogamous, too. Isn’t that something?
Happy Monday and have a wonderful week.
What little things do your family members do to support each other — in sickness and in health?
A few pics of healthy quail couples.
A female quail with an unusual male with no tail!
This is Momma quail’s “No Tail Male Quail!”
P.S. Thank you to my professional photographer friend of 30 plus years. He gave me a tip yesterday to adjust my settings to get more images in focus. The results are the photos above where you can see the patterns of feathers on my quail.
