From [[email protected]] Mon Oct 14 12:39:49 2002 Received: from www.plaidworks.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.2/8.12.2) with ESMTP id g9EJbn19022771; Mon, 14 Oct 2002 12:37:49 -0700 (PDT) Received: from web12301.mail.yahoo.com (web12301.mail.yahoo.com [216.136.173.99]) by plaidworks.com (8.12.2/8.12.2) with SMTP id g9EJbIhh022731 for <[[email protected]]>; Mon, 14 Oct 2002 12:37:18 -0700 (PDT) Message-ID: <[[email protected]]> Received: from [205.214.163.45] by web12301.mail.yahoo.com via HTTP; Mon, 14 Oct 2002 12:37:18 PDT Date: Mon, 14 Oct 2002 12:37:18 -0700 (PDT) From: Barbara Harkleroad <[[email protected]]> Subject: Re: [SBB] The quail covey has reassembled To: Patty Ciesla <[[email protected]]>, SBB <[[email protected]]> In-Reply-To: <[[email protected]]> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-BeenThere: [[email protected]] X-Mailman-Version: 2.1b3+ Precedence: list List-Unsubscribe: , List-Id: South Bay Birding List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Sender: [[email protected]] Errors-To: [[email protected]] Hello Patty, I enjoyed reading your "essay" about the quail. I totally understand what you are describing, although my quail tend to fly in and out over a 6 ft. chain link fence to a ground feeding platform several yards from my kitchen window. It appears that they raise their young in some chapparal down the hill directly adjacent to a four lane divided roadway on Camden Ave. in San Jose. A cement block wall separates the chapparal from the traffic. I look forward in late summer to when they bring the young in and show them where the water is located next to the patio. This usually happens when the feed is missing and the quail then cover the entire grassy area on the patio level looking for something to eat. Often the male will post himself atop a bush to see over his family. They love their "dirt" baths and the iris bed, which has loose, dry dirt, seems to be their favorite area to make their "hollows." Then, as you mentioned, it appears that two or more families will join together. The feeding frenzy that can take place at times have the quail practically standing on top of each other. We live very near Quicksilver Park and the quail I see there are much thinner than "my" quail! Barbara Harkleroad Almaden Area, San Jose --- Patty Ciesla <[[email protected]]> wrote: > The big covey of California Quail has reassembled in > our yard. Early in the > summer I would usually only see a handful of quail > at any one time -- > usually less than 8 or 10. I was worried that the > coyotes were responsible > for the declining numbers, but now I don't think > that's the case. About a > month ago, it looked like two small coveys had > converged, as I began seeing > up to 15 or 20 birds together at the ground seeds in > the path below the deck. > > This morning I counted 37 birds and enjoyed the > morning paper listening to > their liquid burbling coos and pooks. It's become an > important ritual for > me on rising to toss the seeds over the railing > first, then make the > coffee. By the time the smell of dark roasted fills > the kitchen, the quail > are coming in. > > They come -- generally -- from the area by the barn. > Their night roosting > location is unclear to me. I can't tell if they are > leaving the cover of > the dry chaparral high to the south, or if they are > running up from the > moist canyon below and to the east. Either way, they > congregate in the plum > and quince trees or the big brambles of blackberries > first, clucking in > anticipation as they hide in the cover. The scrub > jays venture to the seeds > first, boasting about their bravery with their > grating wrehK! breakfast > call. Only then do a few of the quail decide it's > safe. They launch from > the branches and tumble in awkwardly, cackling > nervously. > > When the first 3 or 4 are scratching and pecking in > the dirt the rest > follow gradually. Some fly in directly, taking the > long flight from the > high branches in the plum. Others nervously take the > interrupted aerial > pattern, landing first in the high brush half way, > then completing the > flight a few moments later to land in the path. > Others are even more > cautious; they haltingly run, spurting from the base > of the quince to > assemble short in the cover of the roses. They > babble and watch their > braver kin feed for a while before finally giving in > to hunger and finally > running drunkenly out from cover, zigging along the > path, to the seeds. > > I must read the paper quietly, carefully. No > rustling of pages or the whole > yard explodes with the thunder of quail in anxious > retreat. Ssshh. Honey, > come listen, the quail are here! > > Patty > > _______________________________________________ > Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be > ignored. > south-bay-birds mailing list > [[email protected]] > http://www.plaidworks.com/mailman/listinfo/south-bay-birds __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Faith Hill - Exclusive Performances, Videos & More http://faith.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored. south-bay-birds mailing list [[email protected]] http://www.plaidworks.com/mailman/listinfo/south-bay-birds