A Quail, a Quail, My Kingdom for a Quail!

In the Sonoran Desert, the area of Southwest USA, home of the famous Saguaro cactus [the empire state building giant of cactus-dom] the quail resident was/is the Gambel's Quail. One year, the two of us shared our back yard with a quail family...privileged at watching the breeding, the nesting, the hatching, and the parents raising the 'brood'. We then moved to Texas... along the coast of Texas on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico. In some spots, it's sub-tropic. In other areas, it's a desert chaparral!!  Here, in the chaparral, is where we found the Greater Roadrunner! Three weeks ago, walking as told to do after my stay in ICU, Bud and I trekked around the new birding facility being built. This was the Sunday we saw a whole slew of Sandhill Cranes that I posted photos of at Hootin' Anni's. This was also the same day we both heard, but never sighted, the Bobwhite Quail.  We stayed around the land of mesquite and prickly pear cactus in hopes of finding them. No luck. So, on Tuesday, the last day of March, we decided to walk the newer trails once again in search of some land birds. We took our sweet time, viewing the abundance of wildflowers; but very little bird life. We stopped at the elevated observation platform and used our binoculars to see what water fowl was there on the bay. American Coots, Redheaded ducks, two reddish egrets, a half dozen roseate spoonbills, and a couple of great egrets. Across the bay at a great distance a flock of white pelicans.  We left to head back to the car. We had grocery shopping to do before the rains came. Yep, it was another cloudy day. As we approached the end of the trail, where the car was parked, Bud had the car keys readied...I glanced at some of the construction debris beside the road and behold...TWO BOBWHITE QUAIL!! One male, one female. And they were scurrying away quickly. I hurriedly focused on one. I was excited....just to get a photo to record our sighting!! I had a wonderful opportunity of get both male[the one with the black & white face markings] AND female [with the buff brown face markings] in photo since they stopped to investigate for food tidbits before vanishing in the roadside brush and culvert.  A 30 second instant, and they were gone.  A first for me; otherwise seen only in bird guide books, now forever lodged in the pages of my own birding almanac, and one of the four on my sidebar for 2015 now 'marked off'...

NORTHERN BOBWHITE QUAIL
photos taken: Oso Bay Nature Trail
habitat range: Bobwhite Quail

I read some articles online once I got home, and sadly, the Northern Bobwhite Quail are in dire straits...the population has declined nearly 80 per cent in the state of Texas. I consider myself lucky to see just these two.

If you have time, read these ariticles:

Texas Quail Population Decline

THE BOBWHITE BLUES!!! Bobwhite Quail...a decline in population that needs to be addressed. Shared by LIVING BIRD MAGAZINE .Cornell Ornithology Lab. Issue Autumn 2012

Now, share your birding experiences:





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