Gambels Quail

Quail - watercolor study.

Artist Note

The quail are all over the place

at the moment,

and they are the neatest birds to watch

with their

bobbing heads and perky steps.

Here are five on the rail of our deck -

there were 8 of them at one time. Fun!

They come for the water as well as the food.

Clever - the water bowl attaches to the rail as you can see.

They are friendly to the other birds at the feeders, 

but the Thrashers do have a bit of 

a dictator attitude and think they

 rule the deck.

I sit and sketch from
inside the window.
pencil and watercolor
They can't see me
due to the reflection of the sky
on the glass..

Quail lay their eggs in a shallow 

depression in the ground. One a day.

They may line it with dead leaves or grass.

No full nest of twigs etc.,

I have seen where they surrounded the eggs 

with stones or lumpy dirt to prevent them 

rolling away. Clever and protective.

I found their their eggs under

a bush in a plant-pot one year

These are those which didn't hatch

out of 14 last year, I love the markings

and have not done a full painting 

of them - yet!

It will soon will be hatching time

I can't wait to see the babies

running in a line behind

mom and dad