Never mind the poor tomato plants, sulking in the fog of the veggie patch this strange, gloomy late July - at least the lavender loves our cool-climate, Mediterranean-style mornings and late afternoons, with just enough sunshine to keep this aromatic crop in scented bloom for longer than we're used to at this time of year.
Somewhere in the midst of the backyard lavender bushes in this evening's shot, hides a flock of baby quail. Our very own young Gerald Durrell drew me out to the hillside to snap a shot (look very closely at the Mama Quail at least - half way up the steps), but hot on my heels came tigers of the vineyard patrol, our bob-tailed brother and sister cats and not too far behind, grumpy old dog.
Needless to say, Papa Quail flew up to the rooftop, squawking a territorial "squill" like nobody's business, as Mama Q kept watch from a tree top nearby. Not too sure how likely this prolific little family will maintain a stake on Rivetti mountain considering the amount of interest they're attracting from the household pets. At least for now, we're attempting to keep the cats indoors.
The California quail is a highly sociable bird that coexists well on the edges of urban areas. Attracted to open woodlands, such as Helen Putnam Park behind our property, female California Quail lay up to a dozen eggs, twice a year. It's not uncommon for packs of two females and their offspring to congregate together with multiple males (not necessarily the fathers of their brood).
Quail? Now I am truly jealous! We have robins,finches, wrens, doves, lizards of all types, bees by the bucket, and neighborhood cats getting stoned in the catmint. But NO quail. :-(
Posted by: Frank Simpson | Tuesday, July 27, 2025 at 04:10 PM