Back Porch

Last July a Gambel's Quail decided to use one of our plants on the back porch as a nesting site. For about the next 3 weeks through the heat of the Tucson summer she stayed on 7 eggs. One afternoon I looked out the back window onto the porch and could see something moving in the pot. I slowly raised the blind and was able to see 3-4 baby chicks moving and jumping around. My wife came home and I told her about the activity as I went to the living room and noticed a Cooper's Hawk was in one of the water trays we leave out in the desert. I took a few pictures of the hawk before it flew away and then the next thing I hear is my wife yelling "Jim, a hawk, a hawk has landed on the pot!". I ran out to the back porch as the hawk flew away and went over to check on the chicks. All 7 chicks were fine and I could see and hear the mother Gambel about 20 feet away over in the desert and for the first time the male Gambel was with her.
I quickly took a couple of pictures of the chicks and went back inside. Within 10 minutes the male and female were back on the porch jumping in and out of the pot trying to get the chicks to follow them but only 2 of them jumped out of the pot, so the female went off into the desert with the 2 chicks. At this point the male Gambel jumped up into the pot and stayed with the 5 remaining chicks for the rest of the afternoon and through the night. When we got up the next morning, everybody was gone. It was a very unique experience and amazing when you realize that these chicks have to be up and going within hours to have a chance of surviving.
Regards,
Jim

Getting ready to leave with Mom.

The Cooper's Hawk before heading to the back porch.

Love the second chick image!
Nice story - isn't it great to get a glimpse like this? You can see whay the parents want the chicks up and out ASAP - sitting in pot is like a - lol - sitting duck!

sandy r

Jim,

Thanks for sharing the story and your pictures of the hawk and chicks. I just love seeing the little puffballs.

An interesting series Jim - and story to go along with it. Most years I have a quail family under the shed in my back yard. They're very protected there and return to it whenever they feel threatened.

A good story and nice documentation photos as well. We've yet to see an actual nest in the yard but we get to see recently hatched chicks accompanying one or both parents throughout the breeding season.

The Cooper's and occasional Sharp-shinned Hawks that frequent the yard concentrate on the Mourning and Inca Doves; we've never seen them take any quail. The Quail chicks are much more at risk from the nasty Great-tailed Grackles that have become pests throughout the neighborhood in recent years.

Great story. Thanks for sharing it. Nice photos too.

Very cool. Thanks for sharing. Love the image of the newbies.