Quail

I was pretty thrilled when, a few years ago, I finally caught roadrunner with my camera; they're pretty camera shy and don't usually hang around long. Thing is, compared to quail, snapping a pic of roadrunner is a breeze. The difference, I think, has to do with the social proclivities of each - roadrunner is solitary, while quail live in their coveys where if one decides to high tail it outta here, they all go. There is a rather smallish covey that lives in the area of a crossroads I frequently mountain bike through. The other evening I thought I would finally get a shot at them; they scrambled out of the way as I got close, but then some came to a stop. And so did I, seeing my chance. But then an especially nervous one took flight, and that was that - the rest of them scattered. There are four of them in the photo below, three in the air, and one running for all he's worth along the ground. Ah well, if at first you don't succeed, try again.

An Akimel O'odham tale of Quail and Coyote:

Once upon a time, long ago, Coyote was sleeping so soundly that a covey of quails came along and cut pieces of fat meat out of his flesh without arousing him. Then they went on.

After they had camped for the evening, and were cooking the meat, Coyote came up the trail.

Coyote said, "Where did you get that nice, fat. meat? Give me some.

Quails gave him all he wanted. Then he went further up the trail. After he had gone a little way, Quails called to him,

"Coyote, you were eating your own flesh."

Coyote said, "What did you say?"

Quails said, "Oh, nothing. We heard something calling behind the mountains."

Soon the Quails called again,"Coyote, you ate your own meat."

"What did you say?"

"Oh, nothing. We heard somebody pounding his grinding stone."

So Coyote went on. But at last he began to feel where he had been cut. Then he knew what the quails meant. He turned back down the trail and told Quails he would eat them up. He began to chase them. The quails flew above ground and Coyote ran about under them. At last they got tired, but Coyote did not because he was so angry.

By and by Quails came to a hole, and one of the keenest-witted picked up a piece of prickly cholla cactus and pushed it into the hole; then they all ran in after it. But Coyote dug out the hole and reached them. When he came to the first quail he said,

"Was it you who told me I ate my own flesh?"

Quail said, "No."

So Coyote let him go and he flew away. When Coyote came to the second quail, he asked the same question. Quail said, "No," and then flew away. So Coyote asked every quail, until the last quail was gone, and then he came to the cactus branch. Now the prickly cactus branch was so covered with feathers that it looked just like a quail. Coyote asked it the same question, but the cactus branch did not answer. Then Coyote said,

"I know it was you because you do not answer."

So Coyote bit very hard into the hard, prickly branch, and it killed him.