The Quails Are Not Backward Either

For  the last two days I've been telling you about noisy-miners.  Now the miners are considered to be one of the more aggressive birds in the country.  They work in teams and families and can stand up to big birds like the crows and gang up on any bird  who won't give into their demands (e.g the friarbirds).

Quails on the other  hand are considered to be very timid and extremely vulnerable.  They have been easy targets for shooters and fall prey to predatory birds.

So imagine our surprise when a family of quails walked down from the grassy paddock into our backyard for a grand tour of the human habitat.  The adults were so confident and proud of their little chicks who were barely days old.  They inspected the bird baths, walked along the garden, checked out the undergrowth beneath the bushes, pausing every now and then to point significant items of interest to their young flock. They came right up to the back door and took a good long look inside.  By the time I grabbed the camera and focussed through the glass, it was time for them to leave, so some of the shots

are rather blurry.  they toured the yard twice.  But each time I went out from the other side of the house to photograph them I lost sight of them in the long grass.  An adult bird was also sitting in the trees, keeping guard for any signs of danger.  He or she called out to me, flew close by head and told me to go inside so they could teach their young about the different grasses and terrains without distraction.

Small and vulnerable they may be, but lacking in self-esteem or a sense of their own worth in life they are not.  Check out the short video I managed to get and I do apologise for the lack of quality, but it was the best I could do through the glass while keeping enough distance not to frighten them away.

Today is day 3 of the 30Day blog challenge and you can still join the challenge yourself.

For your copy of the 23 Amazing Facts About Wild Bird Culture with true stories - click on this link and enter your details.

I will be bringing you many more stories this month.

To read the earlier articles in this blog challenge click here.

Until tomorrow,

Cheers

Gitie