Quailing at the sight
Thursday May 19th 2011, 7:18 pm
Filed under: Family,Food,Friends,Wildlife

I heard–something, this morning, and went to go check.  Looking out the window, there was a California quail on my neighbor’s roof!

I have lived here for 24 years and I have never, ever seen one here before. I was gobsmacked. Gorgeous, even from a distance.

And in the gorgeous bird department, my daily visits from my Nuttall’s woodpecker dressed in vivid black and white stripes glistening like silk ended around November;  I hoped it had maybe migrated, found better food, gone somewhere hawk-free, but I missed it.

This afternoon I saw one, a vivid red spot on its head, going up and down my trees. I have a Nuttall’s again!

I have a friend who’s about to fly out here on a business trip and she emailed asking about restaurants in the area. That got a good conversation going between Michelle and me re our favorites, and I was asking her, What was the name of…?

And as I started to answer my friend, something showed up to try out our own food offerings.

I am typing this with the quail pacing outside my window, looking in at me: why is all the good suet where I can’t reach it? Is that the stuff you don’t put on the menu that only those in the know get to ask for?

Richard walked in the door just now and got to see it.

It has this little deely bopper feather on its head that does the bobble-head shimmy when it walks or bobs for seed. I am utterly charmed. It has spent a lot of time looking in the window at me, and here it comes again.

I am typing this blindly as I’m being stared at. Feed. Me.

…And now I have quietly snuck more food just outside the glass door and it is ignoring it and staring in the window just the same. It hopped up on the outer window sill to come closer, not minding the three of us talking a few feet away. It has never seen people before, perhaps? It’s simply curious and happy to hang out with us.

But then, you can do that after a good meal at a nice place.


8 Comments so far
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As foolish as this may seem, was the Quail someone’s pet that got loose? Strange things here, people keep Ducks, Geese and Chickens for pets, so why not a Quail

Comment by kristy phipps 05.20.11 @ 7:02 am

Neat. Glad you got to share the sighting with Richard!

Comment by Channon 05.20.11 @ 7:19 am

Oh my – come on up here and fill your boots! There are at least 5 pairs tootling about my driveway/gully at any time and there will soon be babies for added charm and hawk/cat food. Yours might have been seeing his own reflection in the glass and was wondering who the other guy was?

Comment by Joan 05.20.11 @ 9:03 am

Gobsmacked is good.

Comment by Sherry in Idaho 05.20.11 @ 10:03 am

We have quail where I grew up–I love seeing them running in the ditch . . . Bobblebobblebobble!

Comment by Lanafactrix 05.20.11 @ 12:20 pm

Oh oh, and baby quail? CUTEST THING EVER.

Comment by Lanafactrix 05.20.11 @ 12:21 pm

You want a restaurant suggestion? Try Chef Chu’s.

Comment by Don Meyer 05.20.11 @ 3:11 pm

What a beautiful bird!
Now I have to make sure I send you the picture of the hummingbird i got to take a picture of the other day. Put it on my blog, too last week, if you want to see before I get the email together!

Comment by karin maag-tanchak 05.20.11 @ 5:56 pm



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