# Wait! Er, there's a quail on my porch. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 15, 2005, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-er-theres-a-quail-on-my-porch/308424 "2005-06-15T19:33:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-er-theres-a-quail-on-my-porch/308424/1 "2005-06-15T19:33:01Z")
When I got home from trivia night last night, as I pulled into the driveway, I saw what looked like a fuzzy little football sitting on my front porch. Me: šŸ˜• I get out and go over to see what it is. Local kidā€™s toy? Giant fast-growing mushroom? Nope. Itā€™s a medium-sized brownish bird, huddled up into a ball. Pattern of feathers looks like a quail, but Iā€™ve never seen one hunkered down like this, and Iā€™ve certainly never encountered a quail thatā€™ll let me walk right up to it. Me: šŸ˜• šŸ˜• So Iā€™m standing right there, bending over, my face maybe a foot away from it, whispering: Hey there. What are you doing on my porch? Are you okay? The little black eye adjusts a tiny bit as if itā€™s looking at me, so I know it isnā€™t dead, but the bird doesnā€™t move. I touch the wing. No response. I poke it in the middle of its back. Nothing. Iā€™m thinking: So, what am I supposed to do now? I suppose the animal control people will be interested in this, because sick birds, especially quail (if thatā€™s what this is), displaying odd behavior in urban areas can be indicators of disease and other problems. And then, **scoot!** ā€” suddenly the bird dashes forward and sails off the edge of the porch, belly-flopping into the flower bed. And stops again. By this time, the cat has come out the front door, and of course is interested in whatever it is Iā€™m interested in. So I go take another look, and this time I poke the bird in the tail, keeping the cat away with my foot. The bird jumps out of the flower bed and skitters across the lawn: and now I can definitely see itā€™s a quail. Eventually it disappeared into the shrubbery bordering my neighborā€™s hard, and I picked up the cat and brought him inside, but itā€™s still weird. I donā€™t think Iā€™ve ever seen a quail actually in the city before. Edge of the suburbs, sure. Just not where I live. And hunkered down on my porch, no less. (Of course, now Iā€™m thinking, Great, I gave myself West Nile by messing with a strange bird thatā€™s someplace it shouldnā€™t be and thatā€™s displaying nonstandard behavior. Heh heh.) This mundane and pointless encounter with unusual urban wildlife has been brought to you by a fat little bird with a bobbing head and a funny gait. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-er-theres-a-quail-on-my-porch/308424/2 "2005-06-15T19:42:36Z")
Sounds like a baby who hasnā€™t quite mastered the art of flying. Iā€™ll take the quail over the fat assed racoon that was in my front yard last night. ---
**Author:** ![SnakesCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@SnakesCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakesCatLady)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-er-theres-a-quail-on-my-porch/308424/3 "2005-06-15T19:57:58Z")
Iā€™ll see your racoon and raise you a possum. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-er-theres-a-quail-on-my-porch/308424/4 "2005-06-15T19:59:24Z")
It could have flown into a window, too. If they arenā€™t killed by it, sometimes it can take some time for them to recover. ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-er-theres-a-quail-on-my-porch/308424/5 "2005-06-15T20:04:22Z")
Bobwhite quail will go into a ā€œtranceā€ as a defense mechanism against predators, too. I used to hypnotize them as a demonstration of instinctive behaviors for my intro psych class. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-er-theres-a-quail-on-my-porch/308424/6 "2005-06-15T20:07:38Z")
Woohoo, Iā€™m pokinā€™ the quail like an urban guy! ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-er-theres-a-quail-on-my-porch/308424/7 "2005-06-15T20:33:40Z")
Just had to one-up my groundhog, didnā€™t you? :mad: ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-er-theres-a-quail-on-my-porch/308424/8 "2005-06-15T20:42:40Z")
I live in a suburb of Boston - but definitely a ā€œcityā€ neighborhood - and there was a wild turkey in the yard next door a few weeks ago. A coupla times he flew straight up into one of my trees. I think there was a cat below, scaring him. At least it wasnā€™t the mountain lion that supposedly has been prowling around the area too. (Okay, so Animal Control says itā€™s probably a Golden Retriever. A few months back, some idiot shot a _housecat_, thinking it was the mountain lion.) I have a friend who has had a peacock living in her yard for more than a year. He seems to like it there and wonā€™t leave. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-er-theres-a-quail-on-my-porch/308424/9 "2005-06-15T20:43:32Z")
Heh. We got a duck in the shrubbery immediately outside the front door to our office thatā€™s decided it was good place to nest a couple weeks ago. Sheā€™s sitting on four eggs right now that should be hatching in 10 or 12 days. Kinda weird since thereā€™s no open body of water bigger than a rain puddle for a pretty fair distance. State of Ohio DNR says itā€™s illegal to disturb or move the nest, so weā€™ve just been putting out a small dish of water for her since it has been so damned hot here. And waiting. Gonna hafta remember to bring the camera to work soon to get some pics of ducking row waddling across the parking lot some morning. Hope the local stray cats donā€™t get 'em. ---
**Author:** ![Tupug\_Anachi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@Tupug\_Anachi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tupug_Anachi)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-er-theres-a-quail-on-my-porch/308424/10 "2005-06-15T20:57:03Z")
Lightweights! Around here we get gators and bears. šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-er-theres-a-quail-on-my-porch/308424/11 "2005-06-15T22:14:04Z")
Iā€™ll take your gator if you take my skunks. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-er-theres-a-quail-on-my-porch/308424/12 "2005-06-15T22:34:24Z")
Anyone want coyotes and mojave green rattlesnakes? No? I guess Iā€™ll keep the bastards, then. I want opossums! ---
**Author:** ![whatsittoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/13edae/32.png) [@whatsittoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whatsittoya)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-er-theres-a-quail-on-my-porch/308424/13 "2005-06-15T22:45:16Z")
> [@Tupug Anachi](#): > > Lightweights! Around here we get gators and bears. šŸ˜ƒ I was going to gripe about the skunk in my yard, but I guess I donā€™t feel quite so upset about that now. šŸ˜› ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-er-theres-a-quail-on-my-porch/308424/14 "2005-06-15T22:54:59Z")
> [@The Sausage Creature](#): > > Anyone want coyotes and mojave green rattlesnakes? > > No? > > I guess Iā€™ll keep the bastards, then. > > I want opossums! Thereā€™s a place in the world that doesnā€™t have possums? Hey, send me shipping and handlingā€¦ On second thought, never mind, I donā€™t want to handle possums. ---
**Author:** ![Heart\_On\_My\_Sleeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/77aa72/32.png) [@Heart\_On\_My\_Sleeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heart_On_My_Sleeve)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-er-theres-a-quail-on-my-porch/308424/15 "2005-06-15T22:58:19Z")
> [@Dag Otto](#): > > Iā€™ll take your gator if you take my skunks. For some reason this made me want to write a country song. I wish I could sing the melody for you. ---
**Author:** ![hlanelee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3bc359/32.png) [@hlanelee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hlanelee)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-er-theres-a-quail-on-my-porch/308424/16 "2005-06-15T23:13:15Z")
I had a snapping turtle that weighed about 15 or 20 pounds in my front yard 2 weeks ago. ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-er-theres-a-quail-on-my-porch/308424/17 "2005-06-15T23:16:53Z")
> [@The Sausage Creature](#): > > Anyone want coyotes and mojave green rattlesnakes? > > No? > > I guess Iā€™ll keep the bastards, then. > > I want opossums! I got them thar yotes and greens too, but I also got too many wabbits eating my lawn and crapping black pills. Oh, and then there are those ravens who feast on those rats with wingsā€¦my personal favorite! ---
**Author:** ![Pullet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Pullet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pullet)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-er-theres-a-quail-on-my-porch/308424/18 "2005-06-15T23:17:38Z")
For the OP: You missed out on good eatnā€™s! Iā€™m going to the shop tomorrow to pick me up some domestic quail to roast. So tiny, so flavorful! ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-er-theres-a-quail-on-my-porch/308424/19 "2005-06-15T23:19:48Z")
Oh, and quailā€¦theyā€™re all over the place hereā€¦got a front yard clutch (I thing thatā€™s the group name) and a back yard clutch. ---
**Author:** ![davmilasav](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@davmilasav](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davmilasav)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-er-theres-a-quail-on-my-porch/308424/20 "2005-06-15T23:23:40Z")
I was gonna suggest you throw a potatoe at itā€¦ šŸ˜› [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wait-er-theres-a-quail-on-my-porch/308424.md?page=2)