Overheard Bird

All afternoon, while puttering around in the front yard, we’ve been hearing this odd bird call, kind of a plaintive “squawk,” not harsh like a grackle’s, but a bit more melodic. It sounded familiar to me, but I just couldn’t place it. Nor could I discern its source.

Then, a few minutes ago, the call was closer and I was able to zero in on the apparent source…at which time I remembered where I’d heard it before. It was in this same scene:

Do you recognize the bird? Probably not. Here, try this one:

Yep, it’s a quail – specifically a scaled or blue quail – apparently pretending to be an eagle or a hawk. I have no idea why a lone quail would fly up to a rooftop and walk along the ridgeline, squawking at the world. Lonely? Bragging? Defying? Who knows what goes on inside the brain of a quail? I certainly don’t. But I suddenly got a craving for jalapeños and bacon.