Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Gambel's Quail lifer

I am linking up with Wild Bird Wednesday and Nature Notes

November 19, 2013

I am sharing another lifer from my  New Mexico trip..it is the Gambel's Quail..We saw this bird at the Bosque Del Apache wildlife refuge.  Hubby and I were taking a break near the visitor's center when these birds popped up out of the brush.  The Gambel's Quail is easily recognized by their top knots and the scaly plumage on their undersides. The males have copper feathers on the top of their heads, black faces with white stripes above their eyes. I think they are very pretty and unusual birds, I was happy to add them to my life list.


We saw the Gambel's Quail near a cute gazebo with a bench, were hubby and I were sitting.  I could hear them first before seeing them and then all of sudden a group of the Quail appeared.


Once in awhile, one of the Gambel's Quail would hop onto this log which was a little more in the open for photos.  It habitat is the desert regions like where we were visiting in New Mexico. The Gambel's Quail is named after William Gambel a 19th century naturalist and explorer of the Southwestern United States.

I hope you enjoyed my pretty Gambel's Quail, it was another one of my favorite sightings in New Mexico. Thanks for visiting and for the nice comments.

Join in and post your birdies and to see more beautiful and wonderful bird photos please visit:
 Stewart's Wild Bird Wednesday and Michelle's  Nature Notes.  Thanks to our host Michelle our host Stewart.  Happy Birding and have a wonderful week!



67 comments:

  1. Um lindo exemplar! Bela foto!beijos,chica

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  2. That is a beautiful bird!
    Greetings, RW & SK

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  3. what a gorgeous bird ... love that hair-do ... reminds me of Elvis. ha. ha! ( :

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  4. Eileen, it's almost a fairytale bird, so colourful with fancy plumage! Thank you for sharing. Thank you also for your comment.

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  5. I like what seems like a single feather jutting out from the bird’s head. I wonder if this was the inspiration for the design of some lady’s hats.

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  6. This is a very interesting and beautiful bird. Have a great day!

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  7. Great pictures you show a very beautiful bird. Wish you a nice day :)

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  8. absolutely beautiful bird! so glad you got to see them and photograph them to share!

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  9. Eileen,
    This Quail is a stunning bird! I can easily see why it is one of your favorite sightings on your trip to New Mexico. I love how the males have feathers on top of their heads-he is so handsome!
    Warm Hugs,
    Jemma

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  10. Wow, marvelous photos of this funny birds with this extra feather. Amazing !
    Best regards, Synnöve

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  11. Very nice bird and picture Eileen.

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  12. Oh, Eileen-you got a wonderful photo of him. I saw my first one last year in Arizona. Hubby and I spent hours watching a group of them ---never thought to take a photo until, you guessed it--they took off on a dead run. You can imagine the lousy picture I got--and how much I was kicking myself for that one!
    Hope you're having a good day
    Sun is shining here for the first time in ??????? weeks?

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  13. Super shots of the Quail. They're just the cutest bird with their top knots!

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  14. Hey Eileen!! I've seen a bird that you have seen!!
    We stayed out in Sedonia, Arizona several years ago and these adorable quail were everywhere!! Loved their little top notch!!

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  15. What an amazing bird and what beautiful pictures, Eileen. Well done on the photography and the lifer! My photos this week seem so pale as I took them mid-morning/mid-summer in the middle of the water! Have a great day. Jo

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  16. Very nice Eileen! Congrats on the lifer. They are so common here so it's exciting that you were able to spot one of our fun birds around the desert Southwest:)

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  17. Hallo Eileen!!!
    Such a beautiful bird!!!Great captures!!!Excellent shots as always!!!I really enjoyed your post!!
    Have a happy new week!!!Hugs!!
    Dimi...

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  18. such a unique looking bird; love it!

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  19. Oh how I miss the quail we had that visited our yard in California - there were dozens of them. I enjoyed your wonderful photos and can almost hear them.

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  20. This is an interesting and beautiful bird. Thanks for sharing it with us.

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  21. He's a real beauty! The brown on the head makes him so different from the quail I'm more used to seeing in the Northwest.

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  22. Congratulations on another lifer! Great photos of a very pretty looking bird.

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  23. I remember seeing this quail years ago in California, and I was in awe of it. Lovely photos Eileen, they are a very pretty little bird and I love that little top knot on its head.

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  24. Zabawnie wyglądają piórka na głowie tego ślicznego ptaka. Pozdrawiam.
    It's fun looking feathers on the head of this lovely bird. Yours.

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  25. HI Eileen... They are such and adorable bird!! Enjoy your shot's!!
    Thanks for sharing another of your lifers!!

    Grace

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  26. That is a pretty bird and nice shots of it. I don't remember ever seeing one.

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  27. Wow---love your new bird, Eileen. The Gambell's Quail is gorgeous ---SO colorful. Thanks for sharing.
    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  28. What a treat! Lovely photos of this exotic bird. Lucky you!

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  29. Congratulations! Wonderful photos! I like the little feather coming off their heads! Handsome birds!

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  30. Very handsome Mr Quail . . . Perfect Fall bird . . .

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  31. Another lifter - what a great trip it must have been for you Eileen.
    I always think of royalty when I see those little top knots. :)
    So very happy for you.

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  32. Gorgeous shots! We used to see quail in the woods back in West Virginia, many moons ago. They are such funny little things.

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  33. In my opinion these are one of the worlds most beautiful birds.

    How lucky are you!

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  34. Quails are so pretty with their unique hairstyle. Lovely shots.

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  35. Wow, it looks fantastic, I love it, cheers Eileen.

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  36. Great pictures of a very beautiful bird.
    Very well photographed, Eileen.
    Greetings Irma

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  37. Wonderful bird and great pics, Eileen!
    I love these birds; we had a few in our large aviaries!
    Glad to see them again here!
    Cheers, keep well!

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  38. Congrats on another lifer! You certainly hit the jackpot on this trip! I love the markings on the Quail--a really pretty bird.

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  39. Gambel's Quail look delightful, very distinctive markings and top notch.

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  40. A great-looking bird to see in the wild. You certainly had a great trip.

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  41. Definitely, beautiful captures of cute birds!

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  42. Hi! Very unique Birds! The copper feathers on their heads are very interesting. Thanks for sharing.

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  43. WoW!! what a beauty and a lifer!!

    how exciting eileen!!

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  44. Never seen a Gambel's Quail before. Absolutely beautiful!!

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  45. Hi Eileen, So glad for you that you have seen the Gambel's Quail. I never have. They look like a very handsome kind of Quail. Have a great day today!

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  46. Eileen, nice capture of such a pretty bird. I love to hear their voices as they call to one another while moving through the brush. I'm so glad you saw him!

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  47. What a lovely bird! It looks really nice and I have never seen one before!

    Thanks for your nice comment on my 500th blogpost!
    I have become a grandmother the 26th of August, to a little girl! :)
    Greetings Pia

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  48. congratulations! This is a bird I really would like to see. It seems so nice and beautiful.

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  49. Glad you captured his head - it's so distinctly - like this birdie has a hat on!

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  50. Well Lucky you and hubby of course. It is always neat to see new birds. I have to get out of my own habitat I guess.
    MB

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  51. What a beautiful bird Eileen. Once when my husband and I were hiking several years ago there was mamma quail (I'm not sure what kind) and her babies wandering around in the brush on the top of the mountain… it was such an amazing experience to find them cooing up there.

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  52. What a beautiful and unique bird! I'm glad you could catch some great photos of it to share!

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  53. They are gorgeous birds Eileen and im glad you had the opportunity to capture them. Love their color and unique markings.
    Have a lovely day my friend. Much love :)

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  54. The quail is a stunner Eileen. What a lovely lifer you got there, taking a great opportunity to get those pictures. have great weekend soon.

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  55. What a beautiful bird and what fun that feather in their head :-) Very special to see these birds Eileen :-)
    Very nice evening.

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  56. Those are such fancy looking birds! Beautiful!

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  57. Had to check this out again and say, I really LOVE your beautiful Quail photograph and I would have so much enjoyed seeing one closer than 3 of them flying away in fright...oh my...I got their tail feathers though ;)

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