California quail: Are they visiting your yard?
By Gary Bogue
Tuesday, December 20th, 2011 at 7:01 am in California quail.
California quail in Moraga yard. Photo by Cecil Williams, Moraga, CA
Dear readers:
I’m continuing to receive emails and letters reporting more California quail showing up in Bay Area backyards. The Moraga backyard pictured above is a good example. Five to 10 years ago, nothing. It seemed like quail had disappeared from the local landscape. Then, in the last year or so, things have apparently started to improve for these beautiful little birds. I wonder what happened to allow the quail population to start growing again?
I’m curious. If you’ve started seeing quail where they didn’t used to be (in your neighborhood, yard, etc.), please let me know under “Leave a comment” below. What city? Nearest cross streets? Describe what you saw (numbers, anything interesting happening, etc.) Thanks. It will be interesting to see what the response is. /Gary
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December 20th, 2011 at 8:36 am
I have the usual quail family this year. There are about 9 birds who visit my Orinda patio to pick up seeds, every afternoon.
December 20th, 2011 at 3:04 pm
Quail and Skippy!
We saw a few quail last summer while we were walking in Livermore. It was near Stanley and Murietta, on someone’s back fence.
December 21st, 2011 at 10:17 am
We have one pair that frequent our patio area on their rounds. Lafayette Miller Dr/Deer Hill Rd I think the outdoor cats and scrub jays get the babies. Please note, my cat is an indoor only cat.
December 22nd, 2011 at 9:34 pm
Hi Gary, I sent an email a couple of weeks ago and I am just following up now to see if you have been able to find anything out regarding the resident flock of geese at Heather Farm Park’s 2 ponds. I have been seeing this flock (which is unable to fly) for many years but in the past couple of months, they have suddenly disappeared. I can’t believe that a predator got all of them (there were about 40 altogether) and I think the city of Walnut Creek may have removed them. Do you have any way of finding out the answer to this? I thought of these geese as old friends, and have many photos of them.
Thanks, Randy Gardner
December 29th, 2011 at 10:49 am
We live up on the hill in Rossmoor on Ptarmigan dr. I mapped the Lafayette Castello dr. where the wild pigs were seen. It is maybe only a couple miles from our home. I saw a mountain lion up there when we first moved in 3 years ago.
We have California Quailyear round.