Morning Photo Shoot with the Baby Quail

 If you want to capture pictures of the Little Ones...

Daddy Quail on the Lookout

you've got to be quite sneaky...

 Daddy Quail is always on the lookout for intruders in his garden.

Checking it Twice

  And if he senses any danger

his "pip, pip, pip" signals the Little Ones 
to run for cover.

Mamma and Little Ones with Daddy on Guard

 Fortunately, 
I can be sneaky.

 (Now that would be quite the image to capture!)

A Game of Hide and Seek

 I see you!

Mamma is Always Near

 I'm amazed at how well 

they care for their little brood.

Sixteen Baby Quail in 2013!

Did I say little brood?

(One little guy is under the Lobelia.)

How do they ever care for so many babies?

Breakfast!

Did you know Baby Quail can run about 

and peck for food

immediately after hatching?

Bugs and seeds are tasty morsels.

Daddy in the Rear

 Occasionally there is a straggler, 

so Daddy brings up the rear 

doing his best to keep them all together.

Tender Moments of Teaching

Oh what we have observed 

from these sweet little birds...

But that's another day's post.

Stay tuned!

All content created by Carolyn Bush | Copyright © 2010 - 2013 

All Rights Reserved | This Grandmother's Garden

Highland, Utah, USA

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The Highest Award a Garden Can Ever Achieve...

                                is bestowed by Nature.

                               It's an award you'll forever treasure.

And how do you know if your gardens have been selected 

for this Honorary Award?

It's simple...

Nature's little creatures 

choose to make your gardens 

their home.

Male California Quail

And for the second year in a row, 

Mister and Madame Quail have given 

This Grandmother's Garden 

that very distinction.

 What a pleasure it is to receive it.

For weeks we've watched these two walking about our gardens

hoping they would choose to stay...

and they did!

Female California Quail

Mister Quail is quite smitten.

He never lets her out of his sight.

He oftens find a perch to sit on 

where he watches intently.

He is the sentry in charge of her safety.

 

Madame Quail goes about her business 

of pecking the ground 

for morsels of seed and bugs and buds.

Occasionally she can be seen 

carving out a bowl shape in the dirt 

and plopping into it 

as though it were a bathtub filled with aromatic herbs. 

We have lots of those bowl shapes in our gardens.

Silly Madame Quail.

Devoted Mister Quail.

 Sometimes he chases her 

and she runs away.

But then she lets him catch her.

Isn't that just like nature?

 Anyone want a piggy back ride?

 We have fun... 

watching them have fun.

 Don't move. 

He's looking right at you. 

If he senses danger he'll signal her to run.

Those little legs can move really fast.  

And if you startle them... 

they'll flush and fly to safety.

Mister Quail on Sentry Duty

I'm careful not to let that happen.

I want them to feel safe in their new home.

Next post we'll welcome the Little Ones...

Can you guess how many babies we have?

♥ I should note that Quail are not the only little creatures that call our gardens home.  

They just happen to be the ones we're squealing with delight over today. ♥

All content created by Carolyn Bush | Copyright © 2010 - 2013 

All Rights Reserved | This Grandmother's Garden

Highland, Utah, USA

When the Daddy Quail says "Pip, Pip, Pip!"

A beautiful Summer's morning 

for a little adventure... 

Let's go Daddy!

There are actually five little balls of fluff...

one is a pokey puppy.

Keep watching... he'll catch up!

There he is!

Count them...  1... 2...3...4...5!

Where's Daddy? 

He's taking a sip from the stream.

And the little ones... see them climbing up after him?

Doesn't Nature provide a great camouflage?

His attention is only diverted for a minute...

then he's back on duty, 

watching out for the little guys.

And here they come!

The pokey little puppy is not so sure about this adventure.

Mountain climbing!

Mamma would NEVER let us do this.

Made it to the top! 

Now where do we go?

Over the "trees" of course!

Daddy said "Pip, pip, pip!"

Run for cover!

Can you see those little heads bobbing at the garden's edge?

Just making sure all is clear 

before we head out into the meadow.

Here we go, guys. 

Stay close!

Such obedience!

Now where are we going Dad?

This is the best day... ever!

♦   ♦   ♦

Did you know that quail babies basically hatch from the egg 

and "hit the road running." 

They are able to run around and find their own food 

just a few hours after hatching.

They remain with their parents for safety and bonding 

until they molt from down to feathers and are able to fly.

Both parents care for the brood and if something happens to one,
 often another adult will step in to help.

♦   ♦   ♦

This is our second quail family to visit our gardens. 

I'm hoping it was just Daddy's turn to take the little ones out for their morning adventure, 

but reason tells me something's happened to the Mamma.

We haven't seen any quail for several weeks... 

we miss their "Chi-ca-go" call and their "Pip, pip, pip".

Still hoping they return... they've been such fun to watch.


BTW, all pictures are taken 
through my kitchen window.

What a view...
 wonder what I'll see there today?

May We Have Your Attention, Please?

We have a rather BIG announcement to make 

from the gardens this morning...

Mr. and Mrs. Quail would like to formally announce... 

We have BABIES!

One little, two little, three little, four little, five little, six little 

sweet balls of fluff!

 Can you see the babies in the garden?

Nature provides a great camouflage for their protection.

 And Papa Quail is always on the look-out for any lurking danger.

It's his job to find a perch to survey the landscape 

as the little ones embark on their daily adventure.

And when Papa says "Pip! Pip! Pip!

They are quick to obey...

see the little guy who heard him first?

Within a matter of seconds,

they all respond to his voice and run toward him.

Obviously this was just a training drill 

and they all passed the test.

Sometimes Mamma finds her own perch 

to watch over them... a bit of freedom is always good.

 

And yet, even with tender watchful care, 

bad things can happen.

We watched as over the course of just a few days...

the brood grew smaller.

Magpies, neighboring cats... 

all are predators to our little balls of fluff.

And though it breaks my heart...

such is nature.

Maybe two will be more manageable.

You may enjoy reading my first post about Quail in our Garden
by following the link below:

All My Life I Have Dreamed of This...

In all my years of gardening, 

this is the first time we have ever had quail in our gardens...

and we're having such fun!

All My Life I Have Dreamed of This...

and now my dream has come true...

 

Quail in my gardens!

Words cannot describe my excitement.

It's a miracle!

 

 

Dashing Young Mr. Quail

Content to pose for a photo shoot.

Actually he's perched himself where he can watch the Mrs. as she eats the seed 

on the ground under the bird feeder. 

Ahh... I'm already loving this clean-up crew.

 

 Busy Mrs. Quail

Not so interested in sitting still for a photo...hence the blurry look.

 Mr. and Mrs. Quail Dining Together

Could the blur be from the excitement of the camera lady (me) actually taking pictures of quail in her garden? 

(Breathe deep, breath deep... inhale... exhale... this is actually happening.)

Or perhaps taking the shot through my kitchen window?

Most likely all of the above.

 

Mr. Quail perched in the Redbud

 

I have wished for this all of my life.

Back to their New Home at Garden's Edge

Please protect them from the neighbor's cat... and the other neighbor's dog...

oh my, there are so many perils out there.

Hoping tomorrow will bring more adventures with our new little residents.

 Stay tuned!