Saturday, February 16, 2008

The Kamikazi Quail

Yesterday as the girls and I were gathered in the kitchen we heard a loud crash. We all jumped, but my eight year old gets the prize for not only the highest leap, but the loudest screech. At first I figured it was just the hose from the shop vac crashing to the floor after my daughter had carelessly strung it over something. So we went about our business until Soph went to look out the front window.
"Mom, look at this!"

Do you see that big hole and shattered glass in my storm window? I immediately told the girls to get to the back of the house. The thoughts that ran through my head were a. somebody was shooting skeet across the way and the wind blew it at my house b. some passerby threw a brick at my window and may still be lurking about (okay, yes we live at the end of our street in the middle of the country in which we get very little drive by's, but still!) So I of course picked up the phone and called hubby on his cell as he was still thirty minutes from home. I told him what the damage was and then walked outside while talking to him. Because if I was to get beaned by an errant skeet or flying brick I wanted him to witness the event, or at least hear my yelp before I hit the ground. That's what marriage is about isn't it?

This is what I see from the outside:








Oh, this picture was taken after I determined there was no danger. Little One had been tucked safely in the back with her sisters. But let's look at Little One's expression for a moment:



"What the heck happened here? They better not blame me!!"


Anyway, a foot away I see this. Please if you are of the sensitive nature shield your eyes from the next photo.

This photo tells me two things about this quail: 1. He mistook our window for the one in the Windex commercial 2. We are overfeeding our birds.

Our next door neighbor is a CSI detective and I really wanted to call him over to investigate the scene of the crime. Put up some yellow tape, take some measurements, collect some feathers, you know routine stuff. Could have been some fowl play involved, never know.

Oh, can you guess what we had for dinner that night?


*Just kidding, really!

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mom that was so funny!(not really!)Ha!Ha!Ha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




LoVe,

Emma

Pat's Place said...

Poor quail! Was it the Mama who had 14 young 'uns following her the last time you put out pictures of your wild life? And I wonder what she had been eating? Birds around here begin hitting our picture window when they eat too many of the fermented pyracantha berries in the early spring--drunk, I think!

The Fritz Facts said...

We used to have that happen a lot...but since it is winter and the windows are closed it won't be again for a while.

That poor quail...and what do you feed the birds?

fairenuff said...

Poor, poor, jet-propelled bird! I am a sucker for a sick animal, although I guess that one is past helping!
I love the landscape out of your window. Maybe I'll post the view from my mountain one of these days, inspired by you.
Hugs
Sam
xxx

Kara said...

That little quail was a male, but no doubt from one of the big families we have living here. I think of the bobwhites we have two large groups still hanging around. And one very fat Cotton-Top. I think the rest of the Cotton-Tops must forage in the winter because we haven't seen them. We've been feeding them corn (also for the deer) and wild birdseed is out there. That is hilarious about the berries!!

Kara said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Amy said...

Awww.. "fowl play"....hahaha.

Glad you weren't the recipient of any flying bricks. ;)