![\"california](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/california-quail-5510-ron-dudley.jpg\")
<\/p>\nI almost never post backyard birds but these California Quail chicks are just too cute to deny them their moment of glory.<\/p>\n
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1\/500, f\/9, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f\/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc.,\u00a0handheld, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Last evening I spotted some movement in my garden from my kitchen window\u00a0and at the same time realized that I was hearing the frantic alarm call of California Quail so I rushed outside to investigate (with camera in hand, of course). I found at least a dozen very young quail chicks cowering in the deep cover at the back of my garden with one\u00a0alarmed parent nearby, though that wasn’t the bird making all the noise. Most of the time I could only get glimpses of the chicks in the deep shade of my rhubarb and peony plants but after a while some of them ventured out\u00a0several inches and I was able to get a few photos.<\/p>\n These chicks were only about the size of a golf ball but they\u00a0develop very quickly. They’re capable of flight at the ripe old age of two weeks and one of the things that enables them to do that is rapid feather growth and development. Seven juvenile primaries erupt even before hatching and those feathers can be easily seen, especially on the chick on the right.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/640, f\/7.1, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f\/4L IS II USM +1.4 tc.,\u00a0handheld, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Most of the time I could only see dark, shadowy movements at the base of the plants but this youngster was a little braver than its siblings and came out far enough to get some light in its eye.<\/p>\n The other parent quail was still calling frantically from the top of my very large elm tree and when we followed the sound we found a Cooper’s Hawk high in the branches with the calling parent nearby. When the hawk flew the parent quail immediately gave chase. Cooper’s Hawks are notorious predators of California Quail and are often attracted to quail traps.<\/p>\n I suspect these birds nested under my storage shed as they’ve often done in the past but yesterday was the first time I noticed the chicks. They’re always a welcome addition to my yard.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n Note: Another photo\/camping trip beckons me so beginning today I’ll be largely out of touch for much of the week. I’ll try to post from the road but that’s always an iffy situation given the remoteness of my typical destinations. We’ll see how it goes…<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I almost never post backyard birds but these California Quail chicks are just too cute to deny them their moment of glory. <\/p>\n![\"california](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/california-quail-5483-ron-dudley.jpg\")
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