Thread: Californian quail meets rabbit

Quail crack me up. They're quite curious and the way they strut around always makes me smile.

On three occasions now I've shot rabbits with Quail nearby and several of the birds have run right up to the dead rabbit and stood around it, chattering excitedly and checking out the rabbit from all angles. I've been meaning to video it but not had an opportunity this year. You could do a hilarious voice-over for the video... its just so funny to watch. They hang around for a good two or three minutes.

Of course you can't beat watching Mum, Dad and the kids out foraging for food. The babies look like over-grown bumblebees buzzing around their parents and my daughter loves them - I have to admit they're very cute.

I was watching a gathering of 4 or 5 juveniles playing one day while waiting for some rabbits to show up. There was a small dustbowl of about 2 square meters and each bird took turns to run a defined circuit around the dirt. There were humps and hollows in the dirt and I swear it was just like watching bikers on a pump track. Each bird took a turn then waited ringside while the his buddy followed suit. You just wouldn't read about it... it was funny to watch and lasted about 4 or 5 minutes.

Nature can be highly entertaining when you take time to sit and watch... and Quail can be the clowns of the show.