I went back to Golden Gate Park yesterday. I'm walking back to the place where I spotted the hummingbirds and I look up. Two feet in front of me is this:
He's a California quail. He's so beautiful! You can't tell in this picture, but his breast feathers are really shiny. He looked right at me.
I noticed that he was watching an area behind the cactuses very intently. I looked over, and saw the female.
The best part? Babies!!!
In all the pictures, I can't find more than three babies, but I think there were five. The mom saw me too, and I couldn't get any closer.
They seem pretty close to fledging even though they're so tiny.
As the family left the area, dad stayed at the back to protect them.
I can see why the California quail is the state bird. They're so lovely. They're also quite common. I've seen them in the forest near my house and at my favorite park: Butano State Park. This was my first glimpse of babies, though. Have I mentioned how much I love Spring?
He's a California quail. He's so beautiful! You can't tell in this picture, but his breast feathers are really shiny. He looked right at me.
I noticed that he was watching an area behind the cactuses very intently. I looked over, and saw the female.
The best part? Babies!!!
In all the pictures, I can't find more than three babies, but I think there were five. The mom saw me too, and I couldn't get any closer.
They seem pretty close to fledging even though they're so tiny.
As the family left the area, dad stayed at the back to protect them.
I can see why the California quail is the state bird. They're so lovely. They're also quite common. I've seen them in the forest near my house and at my favorite park: Butano State Park. This was my first glimpse of babies, though. Have I mentioned how much I love Spring?
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What a fun thing for you to have found! I love how you're so observant that you found the female and babies by watching the male. Those little guys were just adorable!
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