| Mr. Quail. The Mrs. is in front of him, her head obscured by the blurry grape leaf. |
The goats heard the alarm cry this morning before I did: Te-te-te-te! Te-te-te-te! They stopped, and a quail couple trotted through the fence and into the vineyard. We won’t hurt you, I said softly, but nevertheless, they ran into the grass between the vines. We will have to watch if their covey of youngsters has hatched or if they are still eggs in a nest.
Several years ago when our llama Rocu still walked with us (he takes time to himself these days while the goats are out!), we came upon a quail family. The tiny babies scattered immediately. Rocu, who is about 400 pounds, stopped and watched them, making sure the parents returned. Only when they all made off safely into the brush would he continue on.
Quail need brush: coyote bush and snowberry, grasses and poison oak. These birds are very welcome inhabitants in our vineyard.
Take a Biodynamic tour at our Open House, June 23, 2012. For details, see Harms Vineyards and Lavender Fields Open House.
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