awwww factor

don't ya just want to pinch their cheeks?

sorry for the lack of quality.. taken through window pane and screen but still cute

Yes, indeedy.
Quite an 'aww' (and 'awe') factor blend!!

They're some adorable tiny-sized soon-to-be duplicates of their adult 'masked marauding' Momma. Quite a lil covey too ...

Hope that everyone of them make it to adulthood'um .. (hee)

Now .. there's a twist that I haint never give much thought to - pinchin' bird cheeks! When ya luv our critter life - guess we can try most anything. And even if we can't - we still reserve the right to 'say' we'd want to, 'ey! .. hee ..

LUV those shots!!

((huggerooners))

- Magpye

One of the things that makes quail so adorable to me is that they stay together with mama and daddy watching, worrying and fussing over the babies

Sure nuff!! ..
What in the world could I have been thinking - the 'momma', all decked out.
I continue to learn a couply dozen new things, most every day!
* note to self: pay attention, Magpye!

Angele, great pictures! I have been trying but I'm just not fast enough to get a single pic of our quail kids. I can't even come close, even shooting through window panes and screens. I'm so glad you were able to capture these pictures to share!

So far our quail families here are much smaller than yours...only one or two chicks with a pair of parents...unless they're hiding the bigger groups out in the creosote. Pat the babies for me!

lol that is the blur in the pics, they go from 0 to 60 real fast :-]

Adorable!!!! I love the Mama too!

Can I ask what camera you use? I need to get a fairly nice one without going all out. DH is pretty generous, but neither of us know anything about cameras. I'll use it the most, for flowers and nature shots. Actually I started a thread for just this info. Feel free to tell me your choices everyone.

Absolutely enchanting! There's something very appealing about quail. Probably why they always show up in the cartoons. Pinch a cheek for me :-)

gram

I use a Kodak easyshare z730... present from my sweetie. I am very happy with it. It has 4x optical zoom and does decent macros (one button setting at the top of the camera.. very easy).
I turned off the digital zoom (16x)... very bad, at least with my skills. Some of the preset scene settings work well and others don't.
I sometimes set it manually but the auto works so well I don't do it often. I have seen pictures posted here at Dave's taken with the Z740 that look very very good, it has 10x optical zoom.

I'm writing all this down!

they are so sweet.. almost as sweet as elephants huh?? see in day or two.. lol..

Twyla

:-]
hope I keep trying to tell you those were NOT elephant seeds I sent, LOL LOL

ROTFL, at what I don't know, but funny! Elephant seeds! BTW, I love elephants!

Great series, angele. Generally, if you drop the brightness and increase the contrast, through the window shots will appear normal. Shooting through windows almost always lowers the contrast.
With all the rain we have been having, I do this a lot.

trois

lol at the baby quail on the left (second picture). Doesn't get any cuter than that. I still can never get over how quirky quails look with their stylish, solitary plumes.

This message was edited Jul 5, 2006 1:59 PM

lol, I can barely see them .. was just 'splainin' in another thread way past time for an eye exam. I am seeing all sizes of quail families; a daddy alone with two babies, a mama & daddy with one teeny tiny baby, a family of four and a family with too many too count
:-]

there was a little excitement with our little family today. This baby is the smallest and is an only child. The ground squirrel seemed to make what I'm hoping was a playful dash at the little fellow and you can see mama's feathers in a ruffle

baby found safety with daddy while mama watched ground squirrel beat a hasty retreat!

How very 'lucky' you are, angele .. that this lil feathered family, goes on about their lives .. right in front of you!! Tis truly some mitey wonderful blessings and opportunities you're provided ...

Now, haint that jes the very sweetest and most faithful protective momma & daddy!!
(drum roll) .. "Poppa, you stay put & purtee - I'll handle this 'un." ..
.. LOL ..

Hope they, and all of the other lil batches & broods that visit .. keep on comin', and provide you a continuous stream of entertainment .. and, fantastic photos ops. ( .. ya keepin' 'em battries charged on that Kodak, aintcha?.. ) heeheehee

Think, that (we've) become so addicted to seeing (& sharing) your peeks into the lives of your lil vermin and their antics .. that, I'm afraid it haint gonna 'set well' .. if and when (we) may hafta do without 'em a spell.

((huggerooners))

- Magpye

Lil camera story from yesterday: I got up at 6 a.m. and took oodles of pictures of the critters , when I downloaded them every single one was very blurry. Camera broken???? Go back out side & try again with different settings, download... all blurry. Wait for Kent to get up and ask all downcast " does a cloudy day make for blurry pictures?" "No" he replies "did you drop it?"
"oh no, I promise I didn't"
I show him the blurry pictures and tell him with a quivering lip "maybe I'm just extra shakey this morning"
He takes the camera from me and with a q-tip cleans the lens,
I wish I had an ounce of his commen sense!

LOL! Well I'm thankful that's all it was. We all want more of these photo stories from your yard! Loved the mama quail all fluffed up and large. I would have scooted too.

Thanks oldmudhouse!
LOL this morning I got to see Daddy in action. I have a pie pan next to the big bowl of water hoping that the little babies will find it easier to drink from
Only child was drinking from his dish with Thrasher watching

missed the next shot of the Thrasher trying to chase the baby away but here is daddy's reaction
"I will whoop on your head.. that is my baby & you will let him drink in peace"

baby says 'did you see that mom?"

just to be sure there is no misunderstanding and everyone is clear on the situation mama gets her drink, baby siddles up to Thrasher and Thrasher pays attention to daddy

only then daddy escorts mama & baby away

daddy comes right back & has a few more words with Thrasher, witnesses present

"and that goes for all of you"

LOL, that's the way I saw it anyway

one or two tHrashers there ?

Edited: to correct my WEE boo-boo! (hee) Thanks.

This message was edited Jul 6, 2006 9:34 PM

Angele, great story! love the pics and the narration! Be waitin' for the next installment.

gram

Another good story as told by Angele! I love the ''did you see that Mom?'' That is so cute!

Thanks all! One Thrasher, one young mockingbird, two mourning doves and the 3 quail were the players in this episode of "Days of Our Lives"

Magpye, I've been asleep all day with a headache & see you spelled 'trasher' was that a typo or a play at the birds? lol, need my coffee at 7 p.m.