The other day I looked out the front window and saw a male and a female quail with about ten little baby quails following them around and eating something from the ground. I thought about grabbing my camera, but instead I quietly called the kids to come see before it was too late. The kids were good and quietly looked out the window at the little quail family. Soon the birds left and the kids went back to their playing.
A little bit later I saw that the quail family was now in the back yard. So again I called the kids. Before I knew it, they were all running outside (Emily with a camera) to take a closer look and maybe get a few pictures. The quails did not like the site of the kids, but the babies were too little to do anything but run.
Before I could get out there to tell the kids not to scare the birds, four of the babies had run right into the window well. Than Emily informed me that Josh might have touched one of the babies. This worried me because I know that if a human touches a bird the parents usually abandon it.
Emily was excited and already telling me all of the things we would have to do for a baby bird to take care of it. Being three weeks away from having my own baby, raising a baby bird was not something I wanted to do.
I wondered if the one Josh touched was in the window well and would be left there. I got the kids back in the house and had them wash their hands. Then we waited to see if the parents were going to come back for the babies. After a while it did not look like they were going to get out on their own, so we made a ramp that they would hopefully climb up. A few hours later I went and checked the window well and all of the babies were gone. I could see the little family over in the neighbors yard happily hunting again.
I am glad the family took all of the babies back. I would have felt really bad for setting my kids loose on them if they had been abandoned.
I don't think that little family will be visiting our yard again
4 comments:
I had a tragic ending with a baby quail when I was a little girl, so I'm glad they all went back to their mom and dad. Silly little bummies, scaring all the quail. :)
I love your profile photo - is it new? Hmmm. Or maybe I just never noticed it before.
Oh yeah, I finally I got your blog to show up in my google reader. No more random guessing for updates!
Thanks Alisa. I just added the picture this month. I finally got one that I was willing to put up.
What a story! If I were a mother bird I was avoid all small children, especially mine. Wink. I also love your profile picture, glad you added it.
WE HAVE BIRDS IN OUR BACKYARD ALL THE TIME, BUT NEVER AN EXCITING STORY LIKE THAT....GLAD THE MOM KEPT ALL HER BABIES TOO. :)
Post a Comment