The Baby Quail Are Here

My black-and-white Tom cat is going crazy. He sits at an open window almost all day, and likely through the night whilst I'm sleeping. I've jammed the window open just enough so he can get his face up to the screen and sniff the outside air for critters. I also put a couple of grates against the screen so he can't (I hope) slam against the screen and knock it out, or just as bad, claw at the screen and tear it to shreds. (This is part of the cat-proofing I've had to do around the house....more about cat-proofing in another entry.)

Anyway, about the quail. I've now seen two families in the yard, and the babies are about as big as a thimble.....well, that's a bit of an exaggeration....they're actually about 5 inches tall, and all look asexual at this point. No bright coloration or topknots to show they're male. But they're so precious. I can understand why Puddy Tat gets so excited when they come into the yard. 'Course he wants to eat them....all I want to do is watch them feed and drink the water.

Check them out by Googling "California Quail" and Search Images.

Here's a link for one photo of babies: http://www.crystalcovestatepark.com/Images/Calquail.jpg