Bee Stitch and Quail Babies

Design - "June Stamp" (Flip-It)
Designer - Lizzie Kate 
Fabric - 28 count Light Mocha linen
Fibers - GAST & WDW - 2 strands over 2 threads
Started - 24 June 2014
Completed - 26 June 2014

The bees are finally humming about.  I like to think all my bee stitch of late has encouraged them!

Well I promised some baby California Quail photos.  I apologize in advance for the quality of the photos.  The babies are tiny, tiny, tiny, and they quick so they are often a little blur.  And I respect the parents' protective instincts so I am quite far away from the birds and using my maximum zoom.  With that in mind, here goes...

First off kudos to Mama and Papa Quail.

They are amazingly dedicated parents!

Mama and babies. The babies are about the size of a Junco and the cheep like chick (baby chicken). 

Here's Dad with some of the crew.

They are keeping very close to the tall grass and brush at the edge of our berm.

The parents appear equally responsible for the well-being of the babies.

You can see it gets chaotic a times and how difficult it is to accurately count the chicks.

Sometimes Papa Quail flies up on a small tree or bush the better to survey for predators or danger. 

This is, I think so precious!  See the baby tucked under his wing?

Two babies tucked in with Papa.

And three babies with Mama.

Off on a stroll once again.

This is my best shot of the entire family.  I counted ten chicks - six to the left of the parents and four to the right.

Closer up to Mama and some of the chicks.  The Junco in the front right of the photo is useful for size comparison. 

Three babies.  

As young as they are, they already has interesting feather patterns - a stripe down their head and stripes on the wings.

  I think at this point we have two quail families and we may add a couple of more in the next few days.  I have been sadden to see a couple of 'bachelors' - male quail on their own.  While it is possible the females are on the nest, given how often I see them alone, I think it is more likely that they are widowers.

And so not to leave you on that melancholy note... 
Here's an interesting bird lesson (I think anyway!).  I had never thought about it but most songbirds like Robins are born naked and blind and rely on their parents to feed them for several days or weeks before they can fly and feed themselves.  On the other hand, ducks, geese, and quail babies are born with feathers and are able to eat, and swim or fly almost immediately - though they still need their parents' care.  Hatchlings that continue to develop in the nest and rely on their parents' to feed them are altricial. Birds like ducklings and quail which spend longer developing inside the egg, and thus can eat and walk and swim or fly upon hatching are precocial.
Now you know!

One year ago today I blogged about our daytrip to York.