Thursday, June 9, 2011

California Quail



5 comments:

  1. I would love to see one of these pretty birds some day! I love their little top knots...

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  2. @Kelly - Thanks for commenting. Quail have been so common where I have lived with California Quail in Utah and Idaho, and Arizona (Gambel's Quail). Really, they are daily birds. I have found them to be pretty challenging to photograph well. I was sitting in my blind photographing the Western Tanagers and BH Grosbeaks when this dude popped up on the fence close to me. He was in heavy shade and I didn't change my camera settings, but I figured what the heck and took a bunch of photos of him. Then I played around with the photos in Photoshop Elements and figured they were share-worthy. We are really looking forward to having a bunch of baby quail in the yard soon!

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  3. I loved seeing California Quail when I spent a summer in Washington. Its neat to have such a large dramatic bird just strolling around the neighborhood.

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  4. Robert, they look so much like Gambel's that I had to look twice and try to remember how to tell the 2 apart!

    As for the dike, no, I have never been there and it is so awesome that you got to see a scissor-tail there! Wow! Need to come back, need to come back to Utah!

    Very nice captures of the quail! I am in CT right now but headed for Acadia National park in ME next!

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  5. I've only seen these cool looking birds in photographs. Would love to see one someday. How wonderful that you will have a bunch of quail youngsters in your yard soon. Can't wait to see the images!

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