I’m watching birds early in the morning while sitting outside writing my morning pages. Then I pick up my camera while sitting at a table inside. I’ve seen three separate families of quail. They are small families with the largest having four babies, then another with two and the final family has mom, dad and one baby.
House finch on a young saguaro.
A Harris Hawk stopped by and the little birds flew away.
Mrs. arrived for a snack. A House Finch tried to intimidate her, but she stood her ground.
I hope you enjoyed my photos that I took over the weekend. Happy Father’s Day to everyone and have a great week!
Gambel Quail babies that is. Monday afternoon, I had my first sighting of baby quail for 2025. There were four babies with one mother and two dads. I wonder where the other mother is? Maybe she’s at the nest with more eggs or fledglings? Four babies is a small brood. I have read that adult quail sometimes co-parent babies with others.
I found a nest last year in a planter with 20 eggs, which made me believe there was more than one mother. Unfortunately, that nest was abandoned because it was next to our garage. The adult quail flew away whenever we drove in or out of the garage. They built the nest while we were out of town.
Fun Quail Facts:
Mating Habits
Gambel’s quails are monogamous birds, meaning that they form pair bonds with a single mate for the duration of the breeding season.
The breeding season typically lasts from March to June, with mating occurring in the early spring. During this time, males engage in courtship displays to attract females.
These displays include a variety of behaviors, such as puffing up their feathers, bobbing their heads, and emitting a distinctive call.
The males may also engage in “tidbitting,” where the male offers foraged food to the female.
Once a female has chosen a mate, the pair will remain together for the duration of the breeding season.
They will engage in preening behavior to reinforce their bond and may engage in duets, where they call back and forth to each other.
The female will then begin to prepare a nest for the eggs, while the male will defend their territory and provide food for both himself and his mate.
Nesting Habits
Gambel’s quails build their nests on the ground, typically in dense brush or vegetation.
The nest is a shallow depression lined with grasses and other plant material and is often hidden from view to protect it from predators.
Gambel’s Quail Nesting Stats
Eggs
10 – 14
Incubation
21 days
Nestling Phase
Follow Adults after Hatching
Broods
1 most common / sometimes 2
Females typically lay between 10 and 14 eggs, which are incubated for approximately 21 days.
During this time, both the male and female will take turns incubating the eggs and protecting the nest from predators.
After the eggs hatch, the chicks begin following the adults, who will continue to brood the chicks.
I was thrilled to catch the lovebirds, Red and Mrs., spending time with each other yesterday morning. They appear quite cozy together, but I have a tough time trying to get their photo. I can take their photos separately, but even though they are spending more and more time together, as soon as I raise the camera they fly off out of sight.
Yesterday, my settings made the photo too dark. I have a habit of picking up my camera first thing in the morning, without noticing how I left the settings the day before. But with a little lightening and brightening, the photo looked better.
Now that Spring is in the air, I hope to see some little Reds along with baby quail. On the Next Door app for my area, people are posting videos of baby quail already. They are so adorable the way they follow in a line behind mom and dad.
I’ve noticed quail always come in pairs and like Cardinals, they mate for life. I wonder how common that is in bird land?
Two photos of Red and Mrs. — not together — but not far apart:
What do you notice in your area that tells you Spring is in the air?
I had a quick visit by a Harris’s Hawk the other day. I was writing an article for my HOA newsletter about Harris Hawks and my proofreading newsletter partner told me it’s Harris’s Hawks. It doesn’t seem grammatically correct, but I looked it up and that’s what it is.
I had a super busy week with an upcoming charity event that I’m responsible for creating the program plus all publicity. Then there’s the aforementioned HOA newsletter plus my photography reading and assignment.
I also had lots of social activities including traveling to a wedding this weekend, luncheons with speakers, my weekly zoom call and dinner out with friends.
So, to preserve my sanity and to do my work I started saying “No” to lots of social stuff. I realized I didn’t need to spend hours at luncheons listening to speakers. I didn’t have to sit for two hours on the zoom call. I did say yes to going out to dinner, since it was an early bday dinner. Our friends will be on vacation during my actual date of birth.
By saying “No” a few times, I got work done and I could breathe.
Here are some fun facts about Harris’s Hawks:
These social and intelligent raptors are known for their remarkable behaviors and unique characteristics.
Harris’s Hawks have dark brown plumage, with reddish-brown feathers on the wings and upper thighs. The upper tail coverts are almost black with a white rump and a white band on the tail. When viewed from underneath, the inner wings and underwing coverts are reddish-brown.
They are 18 to 23 inches long. They weight from 18 to 30 ounces.
Their wingspan is 40 to 47 inches.
Harris’s Hawks live in the United States and Mexico, but migrate to South America for the winter. Their migration is driven by the need for prey items, such as small mammals or reptiles, which cannot survive harsh northern winters.
Their diet consists of large insects, small mammals such as squirrels, desert cottontail, and mice. They may also prey on larger animals like great blue herons, jackrabbits, young wild turkeys, quail, or doves when opportunities arise.
In the wild, their lifespan is 10 to 12 years.
Harris’s Hawks possess excellent color vision, which is one of the best among animals. Their vision is so sharp that they can perceive details and colors, making them efficient hunters.
Young Harris’s Hawks typically remain with their parents for up to three years, forming strong family bonds and learning valuable hunting skills during this time.
I’ve been heartbroken since I had to say good-bye to Olive, my daughter’s cat, who I adopted after she left for college. Olive was a highlight of my quiet life in Arizona. Since we said good-bye to her in November, I’ve noticed a Bird Buddy who is wiggling into my heart.
No, I’m not getting another cat or dog. My son has asthma and allergies. I wasn’t getting rid of Olive because our son seemed okay in our new house — until his last visit. I guess a few years’ worth of cat dander added up. I won’t subject him to a new cat or dog. If I did, he’d probably skip visiting us altogether.
So here’s my new pet. Like I said, sort of. He waits for me every morning to fill the feeder. He’s first to rush in for his fill of seeds. Then I hear him sing and flit around the yard for a few hours. He comes back at the end of the day. We spend time looking at each other. I find myself imitating his tilt of the head and he tilts back at me.
My husband asked what I was going to name him. I chose Ollie but my husband thinks it’s too close to Olive. Which was the point, I might add. His idea was Kramer due to the Cardinal’s hair do. I might settle on Cosmo, which was Kramer’s first name in Seinfeld. Or, I’ll stick to Ollie. Time will tell.
We used to have a Cardinal couple who frequented the bird feeder. The females are not as colorful is how you tell them apart. This Cardinal is alone all the time. I don’t know if he was part of the couple who used to stop by. Cardinals mate for life, so I sure hope he didn’t lose his wife.
Cardinals have a beautiful song and I always know when my new sort of pet is near.
Here’s a video from my Bird Buddy AI feeder:
What do you think of the choices of names for my new bird buddy?
What frequent visitors do you have from nature to enhance your lives?
Yesterday morning I took a few minutes from my super busy week to capture Harris Hawks on a Century plant. I was so excited to see them. There were three altogether. This is the final picture of my series when one was alone.
I spotted three Harris Hawks out the window. I let myself out of the casita on the opposite end of the house and quietly and stealthily made my way along the house hiding in corners. I snapped photos, while behind a pillar support for our patio overhang. Then I made it to one support even closer. Eventually, I sat down smack dab in plain sight at an outside table across from them.
The top hawk took off before I could get a picture. This is second hawk I caught in flight. Look at how aerodynamic his wings are.
Second hawk landed on the wall.
Here’s my first photo from a greater distance away, catching all three hawks on a Century Plant.
The moments outside photographing hawks broke up my super busy week, which I wrote a bit about HERE. The time in my backyard with the hawks charged me up for my last busy day of the week. I’m ready for a break now!
What a start to the New Year! New Orleans. Las Vegas. Queens. All on day one.
I’ve heard that our country is most vulnerable during a transition of power. I’m not sure if that’s why all this happened or not, but I’m hoping and praying for quieter and peaceful days ahead.
The last couple days, I’ve taken photos of birds and plants in my backyard. What a good time to share my bird buddies, and to reflect and enjoy nature.
Hawk number one was joined by a friend.
I’ve had visits from a bright red Northern Cardinal daily. I haven’t seen his wife lately. I hope she’s okay.
Mourning Doves roosting on the fence catching the morning sun.
There are always a handful of House Finches flitting around.
It’s not very often a quail flies up into the bird feeder. They prefer the ground.
I also enjoy my two pink flamingos with their little red friend.
