Category Archives: Critters

Which, if Google Translate is to be trusted (YMMV!) means “Three Quail On The Backyard Fence.”

I never expected to see quail out here. I’m not sure why I thought that – it makes perfect sense now that I know they’re here. But to me, who went quail hunting with my Dad as a kid, quail mean “Grandpa’s corn fields in South Dakota,” not “California high desert.” But that’s a “me” thing, not a quail thing.

I had seen one back when I was exploring the edge of The Mesa, where the Victor Valley floor drops off into the Cajon Pass. Since then I had briefly seen lone quail on our back yard wall once or twice, but never with enough time to grab my phone or camera before they took off.

Today I was dishing out my dinner and I saw not one, not two, but THREE of them out there, and they stayed long enough for me to grab the camera with the big lens. It looks like the middle one is a male, based on the dark face markings and white stripes, while the first and thrid ones are females.

Squab on the hoof! What a delight!

Here’s a small part of a normal afternoon in the back yard.

There are 18 wrens and finches here, under one of the four birdseed feeders, with similar crowds under the other three.

Plus another 20-30 up above AT the feeders and on the top of the pergola waiting their turn at the feeders.

Plus 10-12 large, fat pigeons.

Plus 8-10 squirrels.

It occured to me while re-filling the birdseed feeders that there’s something missing.

While occasionally we’ve seen a pair of red-tailed hawks circling far above, and on at least two occasions I’ve seen an owl parked on top of the pergola, there is almost NEVER any signs of any of those raptors feeding at the Willett Open-Air Aviary & Squirrel Adventure.

Where are they?

If we’re providing all of this feed to a variety of birds and small rodents, shouldn’t there be multiple pairs of hawks and owls feeding off of the birds and critters?

In nine months we’ve built the equivilent of the watering hole in the middle of the Serengeti. Where are the lions?

We seem to have only a partial ecosystem here. It seems odd.

The baby squirrel kits had fairly solid fur when they first showed up a few weeks ago, but now they’re growing into their natural, adult coloration.

You might remember that when the first squirrel showed up last September, I named it “Two-Tone” because of the white collar around its shoulders. The rest of his pelt was covered in small white spots. Above you can see how the babies are now starting to match that look.

This group was just lounging at the far end of the pergola (next to one of the den entrances in case of emergency, i.e., me getting up to go back in the house – OOOOOOOOOH!!! Scary!!!) while also getting the last of the Sun’s rays for the day.

The other thing I saw today, much to my surprise, were quail in the back yard. I saw them over by the edge of The Mesa last month so I know they’re in the area, but I hadn’t seen any here yet. But this morning, just before sunrise, I spotted a pair up on the back wall. That little “fishing lure” thing hanging off of their foreheads is quite distinctive. Surprise!!