Saving the Quail

I got home from work today, and was lugging in a bunch of groceries, when I saw what seemed to be a HUGE fat lizard run by my foot. Nope. It was a baby quail. When I went to look, turned out there were five baby quail. Mama quail was always close by.

So, of course, I ran to get my camera. I wanted to get a shot of these cute little guys.

Then, the worry. See the big Juniper bush on the left in the first picture? That's where the quails live. I know, since it's right below my bedroom window, and they do make a racket.

Anyway, I wasn't positive that's where they belonged, but I could see them trying to jump up on the steps; they were too small and couldn't make it. So then, I put on my pink "for the cure" gardening gloves, and tried to pick them up to put them back through the hole in the Juniper bush.

No go. The first one I picked up, jumped right out of my hand. I was close to the ground, so it wasn't hurt, but still.

So then, I waited until one of my neighbors got home. Waited and watched.

Mama decided to sit and keep them warm, since the sun was going down.

Finally, my male neighbor got home, and I called him over. I was all worried now, because I was sure a cat or a hawk or an owl or a coyote or a Grizzly bear was going to eat the babies before the night was through. My neighbor also pointed out that it would get too cold tonight for them on the cement, out in the open as well.

What to do?

Well, thank goodness for neighbor guys who don't wiffle-waffle. Between the two of us, we rounded the five little ones up, got them back into the Juniper thicket, and all was well.

Today was a good day.