(no subject)

I went out early this morning, and as I crossed the courtyard I saw a family of Gambel quail -- parents and a handful of chicks maybe the size of house sparrows. That made me smile, but the real surprise came when something startled them and the whole family took wing -- one of the little ones ended up on a beam under an overhead walkway, and cheeped anxiously. I had no idea they could fly that young!