While it has been a great year for the Saguaro Blossoms and would appear to have been a good year for lizards, for some reason it has not been a good year for quail. At this time of year we would expect to see masses of young quail trotting around behind Mom but they are noticeably scarce. Many females have no young at all and the ones that do have two or three rather than five or six babies. Did the warmer weather bring their natural predators out earlier? Did the cold snap in spring affect the eggs at a vital stage? No one seems to have a definitive answer. One thing I do know, one poor year shouldn't threaten this particular species! They are not exactly scarce. So in recognition of these endearing characters who bustle and fuss around our yard 24/7 I picked out a few of my favorite pictures.
Nature Notes hosted by Michelle at Rambling Woods
10 comments:
Aww...thanks for posting these. They really are beautiful birds!! And, a little whimsical looking too with the feather hanging in the front!
I wonder why there are not too many babies this year?
Gotta love that topknot!
They are really cute..bad year for mallards here..there are 8 hens on my lawn which means all their broods failed....Michelle
I've never seen a quail up close, these photos are wonderful
I love their funky hairdos :)
So strange and beautiful. Love the hairdo!
There seem to be more young around now Libby, maybe they were just later than usual this year. Or maybe I am just searching harder for them now :)
Oh I do Kathie - it never fails to make me smile!
Sorry about the Mallards Michelle, although with the bizarre weather patterns we all seem to be having I am not at all surprised that so many species seem to be having an irregular year!
So do I Dianne, aren't they fantastic? :)
Me too! Nature Rambles.
Post a Comment