California quailettes.

It's hard to take a good photograph of a moving target, or targets.  What I initially thought was an army of cavorting frogs, turned out to be covey of, at least, ten baby quail bopping about under the watchful eye of their ever alert dad.  (Two to Mr. Quail's right side, one behind his tail and seven bringing up the rear.)  I got as close as I could, but dad was getting more and more agitated by my presence.  Mum was no where to be seen.
This might have been the little 'uns first time out of the nest: they are tiny. Mr. & Mrs. Quail have been hanging around Vinoland for weeks now, but I couldn't quite work out where they had decided to make their nest.  I know now, so no work in the Syrah block for a while.

Hatched.

One mother quail and a covey of 16 baby quails, successfully hatched, last seen heading through the Cabernet sauvignon vines towards the creek. But, watch out for that racoon! Duck, there's a hawk! And, whilst you're dodging deathly hazards...leave my grapes alone.

God speed, little ones.

A baker's dozen, plus three.

With what is fast becoming an annual tradition on Vinsanity (here and here), I present the 2011 Vinoland Callipepla californica nest spotting.

I only learned of the location of Mama quail's nest when I accidentally flushed her out of it whilst watering the shrubbery by my front door. Papa quail has been busy out and about around Vinoland, but getting up quite close to him today I noticed he had been got at! The back of his neck is as bald as a coot; his pretty, sleek grey-blue feathers gone...poor thing. And soon he will be responsible for 16 little ones. Perhaps I should offer him a glass of wine.

Quail watch.

Mr. Quail kept his jet black eyes firmly on me as I walked through the vineyard late this afternoon, ensuring that Mrs. Quail and their 8 tiny quail-ettes could make a safe escape up the hill into the neighbouring horse property. Usually extremely timid, in this instance Mr. Quail let me get rather close to him perhaps sacrificing his safety for the survival of his brood. This mating pair of quail have been hanging around Vinoland for several months now dodging marauding crows, jays, and the Vinodogs - they were obviously determined to set up home here despite the perils of doing so. Sure enough, close by to where Mr. Quail and I stared each other down, I found an abandoned nest in the middle of a clump of weeds. The nest, which is filled with discarded egg shells neatly broken into two like someone had made a tiny omelette and placed the shells back in place, is tangible evidence of the tenacious and resolute nature of Callipepla californica.

Quailude.

Another cool, rainy day in the Napa Valley...Humph! It was however brightened, in some small part, by this California Quail (Callipepla californica) who had chosen to loiter about in one of the barrel cellars at the winery, most likely to dodge the nasty spring weather we are having. I can't blame him, I'd rather be in a room filled with barrel after barrel of wine too. What Mr. Quail didn't know was that all these barrels are now empty, having been relieved of their aging duties last week.
After taking this photograph with my phone (sorry about the quality), and a bit of barrel-hopping in the opposite direction of the roll-up door, I escorted him out into the rain. Sorry Mr. Quail.

Napa nest 2.

Never say never!
I was wondering why Vinodog 2 just happened to get into a very vociferous altercation with a male California quail (Callipepla californica) every time she took a wee in a particular part of the vineyard.
I may have thought that spring and chick-rearing was at an end for the season, but apparently not the quail with the baker's dozen waiting to be hatched.  I feel all warm and fuzzy. Or is that the 2006 Cabernet franc speaking?  Probably just the cuteness of it all.