3198 photos on Flickr

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AJF_3198-HDR by Capt Andy

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03122017-DSC_3198 by Jean-Marie Henrotte

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TLH_3198 by L H Tang

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Joget gamelan

3198. by Martín Colomés

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Peace Lily_3198 by Hope Gordon

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UP 3198 by Robert Ball

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Coal loads headed uphill at Jackson St.

_MG_3198_DxO by Jim Zenock

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Newcastle-3198 by Stuart Glen

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DSC_3198 by Thomas Fountain

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DSC_3198 by il.enko

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California Quail 3198 by Ethan A. Winning

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Some 25 years ago when I was getting into digital photography and almost had a lens that would reach a bird, a fellow by the name of Bob Weiscarver had set up an area on Mt. Diablo which oddly enough was called the Bob Weiscarver California Quail Restoration Project. I had no idea that a bird that was named the state bird in 1931 wou;d ever be endangered. How wrong I was.

I was a little late for that party so I became part of the Western Bluebird Restoration Project. After my 8th year with Blurbirds, I'd read that the quails were doing okay and even my bluebird populations was up 40 percent. But all is not well again.

The California quail (Callipepla californica), also known as the California valley quail or Valley quail, is a small ground-dwelling bird in the New World quail family. These birds have a curving crest or plume, made of six feathers, that droops forward: black in males and brown in females; the flanks are brown with white streaks. Males have a dark brown cap and a black face with a brown back, a grey-blue chest and a light brown belly. Females and immature birds are mainly grey-brown with a light-colored belly. Their closest relative is Gambel's quail, which has a more southerly distribution and a longer crest at 2.5 in (6.4 cm), a brighter head and lacks the scaly appearance of the California quail. The two species separated about 1–2 million years ago, during the Late Pliocene or Early Pleistocene. It was selected as the state bird of California in 1931.

The quail population has fluctuated significantly throughout California. Once plentiful in San Francisco, by 2017 only one California quail remained in the city. Local birders named the male bird Ishi after the last known member of California's Native American Yahi tribe. Quail were likely introduced to Santa Catalina Island, in Los Angeles county about 12,000 years ago by Native Americans, and there is a minimal genetic difference between the island and mainland quail populations. Oh great! They have one bird left and they gave it a name. Never a good sign. Same thing happened to the Grizzly Bear, our state bear, where the last one died in 1929 (but it's still on the state flag).

Anyway, as I post more quail images, I'll give you more information about one of the nost beautiful birds, a bird with a plume (actually made of three feathers!) instead of a crest. Next time, I'll talk about breeding and behavior. I once counted 16 chicks gathered around two females and one male. That shou;ld be interesting, but how in the world could it be endangered. Well, tune in in about three weeks, and you'll find out.

DSC_3198 by Szymon Karkowski

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IMG_3198 by mrk photo