A Pop Quiz...How Many California Quail in the Picture?

Just a fun little moment on the Tuolumne River the other day. I was walking on an embankment above the river flood plain and heard some kind of bird commotion down below. I couldn't see much of anything until I zoomed in and picked up a California Quail (Callipepla californica) in front of the shrubs. And then I saw, well, a nice example of camouflage in nature. So here's your pop quiz...how many quail are in this picture??

California Quail on the Tuolumne River

The California Quail (Callipepla californica) is not an uncommon bird (especially in California, where it is our state bird). But I don't see it all that often on the Tuolumne River Parkway trail in Waterford. The trail has become rather popular, which is a good thing, but it does mean that these mostly ground-dwelling birds don't really like to hang out on the trail so much. I looked it up, and I haven't seen any since last January. But there are a couple of offshoot trails leading to fishing spots and the like, and I'll occasionally step off the beaten track, and will sometimes see some interesting species.

Today, it was an entire covey of eleven or twelve quail. I only got a pair of them in a picture before they scattered into the brush.

California's State Bird at Richardson Grove State Park

Our recent journey took us across a wide swath of the Pacific Northwest, our desperate (and successful) effort to find cooler places. One of our first stops was beautiful Richardson Grove State Park on Highway 101 on the South Fork of the Eel River. It was a rest stop on a long drive so we didn't have much chance of sighting birds, but we did come across a rather beautiful California Quail (Callipepla californica) at the edge of the forest.

I have wondered at times why the California Quail was selected as our state bird. Yes, California is in the name of the bird, but they are found all the way from Baja California to British Columbia. I would have picked the California Condor, although the fate of the bird was still in question. Even today it is functionally extinct in the wild (there are several hundred that were bred in captivity, but they haven't developed a sustainable population in the wild yet). They could have picked our endemic, the Yellow-billed Magpie. What do you think?

California Quail at Pinnacles National Park

The California drought, five years and counting, has had a devastating effect on the state, but some areas in Northern California were a bit closer to normal precipitation this past year. One sign of improvement would be a rebound in bird populations. After five years of limited plant growth, a wet year would mean more food and shelter.

I have no idea if that is actually the explanation, but during our field studies journey through Pinnacles National Park this last weekend, I saw hundreds of California Quail (Callipepla californica), instead of the usual dozens. I saw most of them as we drove along the roads, but when I walked the lower part of Bear Gulch, this female stuck around just long enough for a picture.

The California Quail is the state bird of California, but its range extends from the southern tip of Baja California north to the Canadian border. They are mainly ground-dwellers, moving about in large coveys. By preference, they melt into the vegetation when an intruder comes near, but will fly for cover if startled.

California Quail at the Tulelake National Wildlife Refuge

I don't know why, but the California Quail (Callipepla californica) makes me smile more than just about any other bird. Their style of bobbing and running just looks comical sometimes. And their chicks! I'm reminded of ping-pong balls rolling along the ground and bouncing off each other when I see new hatched chicks.

I'm sure they are just living to their own aspirations. We ran into a covey of Quail while following the Tulelake National Wildlife auto tour along the lake shore over the weekend. They were hanging out all over a wooden structure in the field next to the lake shore.

Tulelake NWR was established as a critical component of the western migratory flyway. Most of the Arctic birds that winter in the Central or Imperial Valleys pass through there, taking a break and feeding for a bit. As we saw in the last post, some Sandhill Cranes have already arrived in region.

The California Quail was declared the state bird of California in 1931. I wonder sometimes why the California Condor wasn't selected for the honor, but going by looks alone, the quail is a winner. They're also easier to see, being found all over the state.

In any case, the quail is photogenic. Enjoy!

Photo by Mrs. Geotripper

A Bevy of California Quail on California's Lost Coast

We've been exploring the north coast of California this week, and while stopped for a picnic at Way Park in Humboldt County, we saw movement in the grass. It took a few minutes for them to expose themselves to us, but it was a huge bevy of California Quail chicks (Callipepla californica) and their babysitters.

I've been trying unsuccessfully to get a few shots of quail chicks over the last year, and I'm still not happy with these. They keep their distance, are very cautious, and are well-camouflaged in the tall grass. And they never stop moving! It's like watching a dozen energizer bunnies at once.

How well-hidden can they be? How many chicks can you see in the picture below?

I certainly had no idea how many there were. Check my video and see how an apparent small group of two or three chicks turns into more than a dozen. And notice how they never stop moving!


Way County Park is pretty remote. It's between the villages of Honeydew and Petrolia on the Mattole River at the north end of California's Lost Coast. The Mattole is one of California's truly wild rivers, with no dams along its length.