Waiting to hatch

Posted on June 2, 2023 by E.A. Wickham

Here’s a quail selfie from my Bird Buddy AI bird feeder.

Twice this week I spotted baby quail. Once was on our morning walk and a mom and dad were followed by the teeniest quail babies I’ve ever seen. They must have hatched that day.

Yesterday afternoon, a family of quail marched into our backyard from the wash. They were a little older and didn’t stay long enough for me to get a video or picture.

I immediately ran to the front of our house to see if our quail eggs had hatched.

Our nest of eggs in a planter of Elephant Feed.

No, the eggs are still there and it’s been a month since I’ve seen a momma or papa quail in the nest.

Unfortunately, the quail chose a planter next to our garage. At first, I’d see quail fly away when I’d pull into the garage or back the car out. Raising the garage door was enough noise to make the parents take flight.

I’m afraid the quail were scared away and they abandoned their nest. Or something could have happened to them. It’s a wild world out there. I’ve read what to do with eggs to get them to hatch. The most sensible advice is to wait and see. I also realize that I’m not opening the garage door very often. Maybe the quail parents are there, but not when I’m there.

Does anyone have advice while I wait for our eggs to hatch? Do you think the nest has been abandoned?

Quirky Quail Facts

Posted on May 15, 2023 by E.A. Wickham

quail photo — Male Quail photo from my Bird Buddy.

I’m working on my community newsletter and my co-editor Sherry and neighbor Shirley put together fun facts about quail. I learned a lot of quirky things about quail I never knew before.

Here are the facts:

A group of quail is called a “covey.”

Males and females pair for life.

The male has a top knot plume that is actually six 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 7 to 28 eggs per nest, with the female laying 1 to 2 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 eggs.

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 June.
From MY HOA SPRING 2023 NEWSLETTER — Written by sherry and shirley

I told one of my friends I discovered this nest of quail eggs and she asked when I was going to “pick them.” I told her we’re letting them hatch and that I can’t wait to see the babies line up behind their mom and dad and follow them around our yard. They are so cute!

She said, “But quail eggs are so delicious.”

“I can buy them at the farmer’s market.” And I did!

A dozen quail eggs from the farmer's market.

These are the quail eggs I bought at our local farmer’s market. The vendor assured me these didn’t come from someone’s yard, but he buys them from a quail egg ranch. Somehow that makes it better. I can’t imagine stealing the eggs from the quail living in my yard!

I asked the vendor at the farmer’s market what they tasted like and how to prepare them. He said most people hard boil them and put them in salads. He also said they taste exactly like chicken eggs.

I looked up how long to hard boil quail eggs and of course it’s much less time than chicken eggs. 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 minutes. My friend was right — they are delicious!

Have you ever tried quail eggs? If so, what did you think about them?

Would you harvest quail eggs from your own yard? Why or why not?

The secrets in our yard

Posted on April 20, 2023 by E.A. Wickham

We discovered where the bites of cactus that end up at our front door came from.

I wrote about a mystery in our yard with bits of plants and cactus ending up on our front door mat HERE.

I’ve had a camera on lookout to spot the creatures. I’ve caught a bunny, a chipmunk and a lizard darting by. It was mentioned by another blogger that it could be our courtyard forms a wind tunnel and it’s the wind blowing the bits and pieces to the door.

Ever since I moved the camera from the backyard to the front door, the little presents stopped. I think the problem is the camera’s light. The camera goes dark at night and when movement happens it clicks on video mode with a bright light. We caught one bunny and after that nothing. I think the light has scared away any critters.

The only videos I get of animals are in the bright daylight.

However, I did spot a half eaten cacti in another part of the courtyard in a pot next to a big rock. I believe bunnies climb the rock and help themselves to a cactus buffet.

Another exciting secret I found in our yard is hidden in this Elephant Feed succulent. Also in a pot:

Elephant Feed succulent in a pot by our garage.

Isn’t this exciting? I believe it’s quail eggs. I noticed this because as I backed the car out of the garage close to the pot of Elephant Feed, two quails flew away. I hope they come back!

What treasures have you discovered in your back yard or home?

A few sights around the neighborhood

Posted on May 27, 2022 by E.A. Wickham

white blooms of a yucca — Yucca in bloom by our park.

I never grow tired of the desert sights. It’s such a different desert than the manicured lawns, hedges and golf courses of Palm Springs — yet it’s technically the same desert. The Sonoran Desert.