article thumbnail

Leaping Foxes

10,000 Birds

We call it a “mouse gradation year” I was not able to find a catchy English term for “gradation year” – it’s what happens when a certain species showing population cycles reaches a peak year. No “gophers” etc. You’re not a vole or a gerbil. Then of course, there are the predators.

Fox 165
article thumbnail

California Quail, The California State Bird: Now Forming Coveys

10,000 Birds

The California Quail ( Callipepla californica ) is the California state bird, inhabiting scrub, broken chaparral and woodland edges primarily in California, Oregon, Washington and Baja California. At this age, they are also able to make short flights, a highly desirable trait for game birds.