I love having company but these guests were a very special sort of Thanksgiving surprise!
Pierre alerted me to our first guest, the Carolina wren. He was perched on top of the barbecue grill on the deck. Pierre was darting from window to window, giving that catly trill that means he’s on the hunt. He avoided knocking more plants down in the back room trying to get a better look. The little bird looked cold. His feathers were fluffed out. He stayed there for a half an hour while Pierre and I watched.
Around 3 o’clock I was heading back to the house from a walk with Shadow. As we walked down the driveway, we passed by a fallen pine tree. It was an old diseased tree with lots of woodpecker holes in it that toppled down in the nor’easter storm. I heard rustling in the fallen leaves around it. Suddenly I noticed dozens of birds about the size of pigeons hopping up and down and darting about. “Quail!” I thought. I’d seen them once on Long Island out in Syosset, near the horse back riding stable where I worked. But I’d never seen the so close!
A quick consultant with my Peterson’s Field Guide confirmed the quail sighting, but they were actually Bobwhites! I’d always wanted to see Bobwhites. I used to read the Trixie Belden mystery series as a kid. Remember the secret club the kids had in the book series – the Bobwhites of the Glen? Ever since then, I always wanted to see a Bobwhite, and now I have!
The Bob whites are handsome birds indeed.