Female California quail on nest

We had been in our new house in Kelowna for about a year.  It was early spring and I was busily clearing dead brush from a hillside when an explosion of feathers and wings burst past me at the thrust of my shovel.  It turns out I had inadvertently disturbed a nesting mother quail.

The offending implement couldn't have been more than a foot from where she was incubating her 19 eggs.  I hadn't seen her, and no wonder, her camouflage perfectly hid her beneath the surrounding overburden I was trying to remove.  I retreated from the scene after examining the nest and waited for the mother's return.  That's when I took the above photograph.

I hate disturbing nesting birds and so I used some of the debris to construct a small hideout for her to raise her family in.  You could not see her when she huddled down to incubate her impending brood.  It was a mere two weeks later that the nest was empty and all that remained of the event was some broken eggshells.  

Male California quails are about the same size and shape as their mates but are more colourful and have the unique bobble of feathers dangling on their foreheads (see below).  They help feed the young and tend to perch well above the ground to keep watch for potential dangers.  When mature enough to leave the nest the entire family, often joined by others, wanders about searching for shelter and food.  The group is known as a covey and benefits each member by increasing awareness.  Quail look out for each other; something we could learn from them.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com