Lately on my days off I've been watching the wildlife in my backyard. I'm amazed at how many different species of birds fly into my backyard to eat and drink water. During the fall and winter months there were several quail that would come in a large group to feed on the seeds that dropped from the trees. They would walk on the top of the block fence and there would be one male that was the lookout while the others jumped down and made their way around the yard eating seeds.

As the months passed and the weather warmed the quail seemed to thin out until they chose mates and became pairs. One of the pairs kept coming back into the backyard and eating. We have 2 large bushes in the back close to the block wall and they seemed to like resting under them during the heat of the day. Finally one day I saw them in the backyard on the grass and they brought their baby. I was so happy to see this tiny chick making its way through the grass. The parents both watched carefully and never let the chick out of their site.

I found out that Quails mate for life and that they both share the parenting duties. They show the chicks what to eat and to run when they feel threatened. I wondered how many eggs the female laid and why they only had one chick in tow. We live on the outskirts of Phoenix and there are absolutely no stray cats or dogs roaming our neighborhood ever. We see coyotes in our neighborhood and there are owls that frequent our rooftops as well. So It's really no wonder that the quail family only had one chick. I only saw the chick with them 2 days in a row. After that I only saw the pair. I hope they have more chicks and come back to feed in my backyard again. Nature is such a beautiful thing.