Quail in the Garden

California Quail (Stock image until I can get a good one of our local quail.)

We're fortunate to have a covey of what appear to be California Quail that live in the brambles at the back of our property and frequently cruise around the garden (especially in the morning and evening) scratching for food and taking dust baths.  I hope they're eating as many insects and weed seeds as they can fit in their plump little bellies.  

They're ground foragers and will eat seeds, insects, and some berries.  They probably eat a few more things but I've never dined with one (feel free to insert a polite chuckle here).  They're a nice feature of the backyard and garden.  While not uncommon, I've never had them in these numbers (or really much at all) in the backyard of anywhere we've lived before.  Our English Setter, Daisy, also enjoys their presence in the yard.  She'll zig-zag and circle around the yard following their trails and scent.  Even though she's getting older, she's still up for a long game of follow-the-quail.

Weedy Pete