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.
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!
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.
I wanted to know more about my backyard buddies, so I looked up a few facts. I’m sharing them with you along with photos I took this week. I hope you enjoy them and they add a delight and smile to your day!
Papa Quail sits high above other quail on a bench on a raised patio. I love how there’s always one quail acting as a sentinel as his mate and covey eat on the ground. If he senses danger, he’ll call out.
This male House Finch beauty has been hanging out on our cactus statue the last few days. They are common in Arizona and eat seeds and have a beautiful song.
Although this guy looks like a chipmunk he’s a Harris’s Antelope Squirrel. I wonder how he got the name “antelope?” I learned that they regulate their temperature by “heat dumping” which is laying in the shade spread out on their tummy when they are overheated. They use their tail as an umbrella to create shade. They live in underground burrows that they dig under shrubs or trees.
I captured a White-Winged Dove and Mourning Doves at the Bird Buddy Feeder. Here are a few facts:
White-Winged Doves can fly 25 or more miles to find water. In the Sonoran Desert, they are able to obtain needed moisture from saguaro cactus fruit. When migrating they can travel in groups of up to 4000 birds to nesting sites.–Arizona Sonora Desert Museum
From Birds and Blooms about Mourning Doves:
They are gentle, quiet, and calming birds known for their soft cooing and for feeding on ground-scattered seeds, often helping clean up feeders. They are viewed as symbols of peace, love, and hope, often nesting on flat surfaces like planters, patio eaves, or windowsills.
Fun Cardinal Facts:
Photos below of Red, the male, and Mrs., the female half of the Northern Cardinal couple, who live in the wash behind our home.
Northern Cardinals are iconic, non-migratory songbirds known for their brilliant red plumage, distinctive crests, and year-round presence in North America. Both males and females sing, with females often singing from the nest to communicate with their mates. They are monogamous, highly territorial, and are the state bird for seven US states. — Birds and Blooms
All my backyard birds flew away when Mr. Cooper’s Hawk landed in our tree and then moved to the fence. There was a noise like “wooosh” when the quail took off. They sound like jets. I haven’t had many hawk sightings, which is fine with me. I think they are beautiful and the huge Harris Hawks I used to get look so regal. But they prey on doves and quail which I don’t like.
While my husband was out of town on business, this lone javelina stuck his snout through the fence under our bird feeder. I got pretty close to him, since I felt safe on the other side of the fence from him.
Next thing I knew, more javelina came out of the woodwork! In the end I counted seven. It was surprising that so many were hiding out in the brush behind our house.
Eventually they all walked away. You can watch this video and see how javelina seem to use their sense of smell more than their eyesight. That snout is busy moving and smelling me!
I was outside the other evening talking on the phone with a friend who lives close by. I spotted the biggest coyote I’d ever seen. I was sure it was a wolf, but my husband said we don’t have wolves here. I tried to get a photo of him, but he heard me and hid behind a shrub. I was looking for him through the fence and then decided I really should go inside the house and shut the door! What would I do if I found him? What if he could jump over our fence. I’ve seen coyote jump over the wall behind our house onto the golf course next door like it’s nothing. That wall is six feet tall.
Happy Wednesday everyone. I hope you enjoyed a glimpse into my wildlife. Hopefully in a few weeks I’ll have baby quail photos to share!
UPDATE: I googled it. There are wolves out here. Hubby is wrong. That was definitely a wolf I saw. It was twice the size of any coyote and a different shape. Didn’t look anything like a coyote. UGH.
How’s your week going? Do you have anything exciting going on?
I walked by a planter growing an Elephant Feed plant. Two quail wooshed out like jets taking off. I scared them away. This planter has been home to a nest before and there were a dozen quail eggs in it two years ago. I peeked in the planter and saw two eggs. Later in the day, I had to take another look and there were four quail eggs!
The main issue is to not make the parents uncomfortable. That means I must stay away as much as possible. But the location of the planter is an issue.
This planter is in front of the gate to our garbage and recycling bins. If you want to read more about me getting written up and pink-slipped over recycling, you can find that post HERE.
I stressed out momma and papa quail a few times because I had to take out trash and recycling. I noticed the egg count has stopped at four. I decided to move my recycling into the garage. With a steady flow of Amazon packages coming daily, I tend to recycle a lot! But I talked over the garbage bin with hubby and we decided to leave it where it is. It’s going to be hotter than 90 degrees this weekend and that could end up being a smelly problem to have inside our garage. With our HOA, it’s not like I can move the trash to a new location without getting a fine.
So here’s to me not needing to use the garbage bin more than a few times a week.
UPDATE: Now we have five eggs!
We’re hoping the eggs will turn into these guys:
I remember telling a good friend that I had a dozen quail eggs in a nest two years ago. She asked me when I was going to harvest and eat them!
Have a great weekend!
What plans do you have for this beautiful March weekend?
When I fill the Bird Buddy feeder I sometimes spill a bit of bird seed. Then if a quail gets into the feeder, he kicks the seed down to the ground and all his buddies show up.
I mentioned this in a comment to blogger Edward Ortiz and he said he’d like me to post a video of it in action. I finally got a quail to cooperate and jump in the feeder and kick the seed out. As you can see from the photo above the buddies were more than happy to show up for their part. If you want to read some insightful, well written pieces about leadership, history, religion, and current events — check out his blog.
It’s not the best video, you mostly see his topnot bouncing around. But if you wait he’s gives a good kick on the birdseed. It’s interesting that the quail on the ground often use their feet to scratch and look for more food.
Red isn’t one to kick birdseed to the ground — or share!
I’ve got a busy week ahead with some long days. I hope I have the energy! I’m looking forward to Friday when our daughter visits from Berkeley!
