Friday, July 11, 2014

California quail calling out, Golden Gate National Recreation Area

California quail calling out in Golden Gate National Recreation Area
A California quail throws its head back in song along the Tennessee Valley Trail in the GGNRA.

For a long time, an image that was high on my wish list (at least of local opportunities) was a clean shot of a California quail in song. They’re already such interesting and charismatic birds, but it’s taken to another level when they throw their head back and call out toward the sky. During my time in California, I had a few fleeting opportunities to attempt a shot, but none of the images I produced quite met my expectations. On my recent trip to California though, I was finally able to capitalize. On one of my first mornings in Point Reyes, I photographed a female quail calling out from her fence post. She was not quite as exuberant about it as I might have preferred, but it still felt like I was putting a small checkmark on my list. Then, on my lone afternoon spent in the Marin Headlands, I came across this very loud male who was repeatedly calling out from his branch of coyote brush on a hillside above the Tennessee Valley Trail.

Quail singing from a twisted branch of coyote brush
The same quail singing from his perch on an old branch of coyote brush.

This quail was dedicated to making sure the whole valley knew he was there, and this gave me the chance to fire off a lot of frames from a few different compositions. It was exciting to have the chance to mentally score a photo of a quail singing in such a great setting as well. Coyote brush is a bit more appealing than a standard fence post would have been – and the unique twisted branches he selected as a perch really added some great character to the scene.

Browse more of my photographs of California quail.

Submitted to Wild Bird Wednesday -- follow the link for this week's posts!



7 comments:

  1. I love the pretty Quail! Beautiful photos!

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    1. Thanks, Eileen! I think they really are one of the prettiest birds out there

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  2. they're really wonderful, pat. i know you love these quail - from before you moved! :)

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    1. Thanks! Quail have definitely been one of my favorites for a long time, and I dedicated a lot of time on my trip to CA to photographing them

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  3. a really great photography of this gorgeous bird. I wish I had have the pleasure myself.

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    1. Thanks! This was one of those photographic opportunities that I knew in my head was special while I was shooting it

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  4. a wonderful photo... and, so unique to see him doing that.... good thing you hung around the area for a bit...

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