Tag Archives: quail babies

Photo Roundup Starring Red

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Yesterday I got some new photos of Red. He seems to have made friends with my Costco pink flamingo. But every time I’ve tried to get his photo, he flies away. Yesterday I was successful.

Red’s been super friendly. He’s no longer ignoring me like he did when I was on the knee scooter, walker or wearing the boot. I must have looked pretty scary to such a tiny guy. Now when I go outside, I hear him singing. I took the trash out and he landed a few feet away from me on the wall. I just went to our backyard to go in the pool, and he landed in the tree above our chairs, singing his heart out.

Earlier yesterday, I saw him land on a rock on the backyard. I think he was waiting for me to feed him. I opened the casita door and he flew high into the tree.

I called out to him, “Hey Red!” in a chirpy voice. I put out some “Cardinal Seed Mix” and he didn’t fly away. I was able to get some more photos while he munched. Mrs. came and joined him, but she stayed in the shade and her photos were too dark to fix with Photoshop.

One of my lunch bunch friends who I worked with 30 years ago in Palm Springs asked why Red always faces left. I hadn’t noticed, but she’s a graphic designer and probably more in tune to things like that than I am.

I’m learning Photoshop for my photography workshop that starts in the fall. So I used PS to flip Red to the right!

A few more visitors this week:

A Desert Spiny Lizard doing pushups on the rock.

A Harris’s Hawk landed on the fence yesterday. I pounded on the window to get him to take off. I really wanted a photo of him in flight. But no luck!

Papa Quail looking out for mom and babies.

Have a wonderful weekend!

What are you planning on doing this weekend?

A Few Photos of Bird Buddies

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I loved how this quail kept watch over his family. His wife and a baby are below him. There were three other babies who were very bold and not close to his watch but mingling with doves.

One of the bold babies.

Red and Mrs. have been visiting each day, but not at the same time. I’m waiting to see some fledglings.

Mrs. enjoying some birdseed. Thanks to photographer Bushboy, I did return to a mix of birdseed rather than using straight sunflower seeds. He warned that sunflower seeds are not as healthy for my bird buddies. But it seems Red and Mrs. pick out the sunflower seeds from the mix.

Red with a sunflower seed.

Not a bird buddy, but a Desert Spiny Lizard found a bit of shade next to a planter.

How’s you week going so far?

A few favorite photos of the week

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Red continues to be the star of the show. What I noticed this week is that Mrs. and Red visit for birdseed at different times — no longer together. They take turns. Does that mean that one of them is in the nest? Does that mean there are babies or eggs?

Mrs. showing off her back and tail.

My new birdbath is seeing some appreciation.

It must be lizard season. I’m seeing them daily running across the yard.

We now have more quail families than I can count. From newbies to teens.

Quail always have a male on guard stationed above the others. This one is on a bench on a raised platform where he can watch over the clan.

Mrs. enjoying a snack.

Red flitting around the back yard from a cactus statue to the real thing.

Happy 249 birthday to our nation! What plans do you have to celebrate?

The babies are here!

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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
Eggs10 – 14
Incubation21 days
Nestling PhaseFollow Adults after Hatching
Broods1 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.

https://www.wild-bird-watching.com/gambel’s-quail-habits.html

Here’s a video of the babies with a parent:

What signs of Spring are you enjoying in your neighborhood?

Bird Views

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A return of a cardinal in our back yard.

Good news! The solar panel roof of my AI bird feeder with a camera arrived. I ordered it in January after a covey of quail leaped onto the bird feeder and it fell off the fence into the wash behind our house.

The tiny metal piece that plugged into the camera from the cord to the solar panel broke. It seemed like it would be an easy fix, but the Bird Buddy folks said my only option was to order a new solar panel roof and they’d give me a discount. I waited until June for it to arrive! In the meantime, I charged the camera every few days in the house.

I’ve been disappointed with my birds because two species are bullies and take over. White winged doves and mourning doves. They literally sit at the feeder and eat until it’s empty. So all my photos and videos for the past few weeks have been of big gray birds. I would get the occasional house sparrow which was a welcome treat.

Sunday morning I was shocked and thrilled to see a Cardinal! YAY! Here’s a video:

Video of a Northern Cardinal. It think he’s quite young.

I’m also enjoying a few families of quail, even though our nest of eggs never hatched.

Here’s a video of quail mom, dad and babies visiting our yard:

Quail family in our backyard.

Here’s a House Sparrow getting a turn at our Bird Buddy

What do you have planned this week to enjoy the world around you?

Our wild neighborhood

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We saw two mule deer on our morning walk.

Unfortunately our nest of quail eggs did not hatch. It makes me sad, because I was looking forward to our own hatchlings. We do have a couple families of quail visit our backyard. I also was thrilled to see deer yesterday morning.

I’m not sure what to do with the nest of eggs. I’m leaving it alone for the time being, but think I should throw them away?

I never get tired of the wildlife in our neighborhood. Across the street we have the McDowell Nature Preserve with more than 130 miles of hiking trails. That’s probably why we get deer, coyotes, javelina and bobcats waltzing through our backyards and streets. There’s so much building going on in Arizona, it’s reassuring to know the 30,580 acres of Sonoran Desert across the street will not be developed.

Here is one of the quail families that visit our yard. The babies look like teenagers.

Another deer in a neighbor’s yard.

Here’s a video of a mule deer walking across a neighbor’s driveway.

What is your favorite thing about your neighborhood?

Sights at sunrise

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Sun behind the clouds at sunrise
It’s so hot I’m taking my walks at dawn to beat the heat. The clouds are blocking the sunrise.

We’ve had a hot week and I’ve been swimming rather than walking each day. Our pool in the backyard is a nice temperature so I jump in and kick or swim. I swim laps at the Y a couple times a week too.

It’s weird not to walk every morning after not missing a day since I recovered from knee surgery.

The other morning I woke up at 4:45 a.m. and got out the door for a walk at 5:15 a.m. It was beautiful with birds singing, but I felt a little unnerved with coyotes howling nearby. It sounded like a large pack. I almost turned back to the house, but courageously kept moving on. I actually turned back momentarily only to discover the coyotes howling sounded near my home. Onward and forward seemed like the prudent choice.

Here are the photos I took during my early morning walk.

purple mountains and desert plans.
I love the colors of the mountains and desert in the early morning.

bird on saguaro
A saguaro topped by a bird.
Century plant fallen over
I had been watching this century plant waiting for it to bloom. This was a sad sight.
Century plant standing
This was the century plant two weeks ago.
The oldest quail babies hanging out with their mom and dad in our pool bar. We have three families from wee babies to these teenagers.

If I wake up early enough to beat the heat, I go for my walks at sunrise. If I wake up later and it’s too hot — I jump into the water. Thankfully our pool gets a lot of shade during the day, so the water temperature is still cool.

What is your favorite way to start the day? How are you getting exercise?