Twilite Lady
SE Arizona Desert
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Joined: 06/24/2004
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We have Gambel's Quail that live in our front yard. We've put in seed blocks and a bird bath for them and have bushes and trees that they like. We have a pair that stay with us year round and nest their babies in our bushes. On Friday we had the parents and 8 chicks. On Saturday there were no chicks, just the parents. The chicks couldn't fly yet and we called them the "puff balls" cuz that's what they looked like. Have you ever seen quail grieve? The parents sat on our wall and cried all day long at us. Apparently there are 2 cats that live in the neighborhood,one white and one black, and they decimated the chicks. We bought a live trap for the cats and baited it with cat food but the cats are ignoring it. I want the quail to stay but how do I discourage the cats from using my yard as their personal hunting ground?
DH - George USA Retired
DW - Twila
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Joy
Henderson KY 42420
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How sad!!!!! Do you know if the cats are owned or feral? If owned, you could try speaking to the owners about keeping the cats inside but I wouldn't want to place much hope in that being succesful. You have probably done the only thing that even might work. You might try baiting the trap with something extra "smelly" like sardines or cheap canned tuna.
See ya' down the road!
Don-SCPO USN Ret.Corpsman
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LIFE ISN'T ABOUT HOW TO SURVIVE THE STORM BUT HOW TO DANCE IN THE RAIN.
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Go Dogs
South of Pittsburgh, PA
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That is SO sad. I wouldn't care who owned the cats, bait the trap with tuna and take them to a shelter.
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Burwoods
Outside Toronto, Canada
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I have cats and I am afraid that they do what they like. That is so sad, I don't allow my cats outside, and am not fond of the ones that come through my yard and cause problems or do their business on my front yard. I love all animals, just not that fond of some of the owners..lol. They are passing a bylaw where I live that cats will not be able to be outside unless tied up like your dog. I hope you find an answer to this.
Bob and Sally
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Deb and Ed M
SW MI, USA
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Joined: 06/07/2004
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Assuming you have some sort of ordinances that require cats to be kept confined - yeah, I'd do the live trap with sardines route.
Your birds *might* start another brood?? It's why groups of people who are trying to cut down the numbers of nuisance geese, don't simply destroy the eggs they find, because the geese will rebreed. Instead, they replace the eggs with fake ones......
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LastOfTheBohicans
Edmonton, Alberta, CAN
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Joined: 02/15/2005
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Motion detector water sprinkler...
Should scare off the cats but not enough to spook the quail.
I am the owner of five little predators (12 mice and one bird) and I hate to hear about owners not keeping the nuisance of their cats to a minimum. You can't change the cat's instincts even if they don't need to hunt, but you can limit their range to your own yard. Ours are on 20ft leaders attached to runs along the front of the deck. It gives them access to part of the yard that they are allowed in.
One of ours has the motto "If it flies, it dies." Thankfully, she only catches dragonflies, but we watch her chirp to the birds in our apple tree.
As for just capturing the cats and sending them to the shelter, please try to reason with the owners first. Let the owners know what their irresponsible actions may lead to. They need to take responsibility. After that, if the shelter is the only option, then it is the only option.
Me, DW, Five Crazy Felines, One RB Angel
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Code2High
One hour past Nowhere, CA
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Joined: 12/21/2004
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Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.... first off, how do you know it was the cats? Other birds (ravens, hawks, owls) will surely eat baby quail as well. As well as coyotes and if you live in the southwest, you do have those around.
Assuming it is the cats and they are trap wary, that's a very tough one. I might consider creating a cat-proof, quail attractive, "safe zone" fenced area for them where they keep the babies, especially where they keep the babies at night.
Motion detector sprinklers are also a great idea, assuming it is the cats. Not sure if other predators would be as put off, but they might.
susan
You know, there's really quite a lot to be said for having your life turned upside down!
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AZPops
Wherever the Job takes us...
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I can’t help with the predator situation, but I can understand the adults being sad (?). Because what impresses me about Quail’s is how they band together as a family when taking the chicks out.
I just watch about 6 adults a few days ago herding along a mess of chicks. Funny to watch, cause they surround the chicks and absolutely no chicks are left unattended. Really makes me smile when I see’um do this!
Saying that, I agree with Susan that most any predator could have gotten to them. In AZ you’ve got all sorts of bird’s of prey, Willy E. Coyote and his bunch, Snakes, Grey Desert Foxes to name a few.
Pops
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CA POPPY
Santa Clarita, CA, USA
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Joined: 07/07/2003
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I was thinking an aerial attack, also. When we had our own birdie B & B, we lost quite a few chicks to crows and blue jays. To them, it's just like you going to Safeway to buy dinner. Those predator birds (cats, dogs or any other) know all the signs that baby birds will be poking their heads out soon and making first attempts to fly. They grab the chicks before they know what hit them, that darned Circle of Life thing again. I guess if that never happened, we couldn't look up in the air without getting an eyeful of bird-doo. The loss of baby anything is hard to take, though.
Judy & Bud (Judy usually the one talking here)
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kknowlton
southeast Idaho, formerly IL/WI border
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Roadrunners also prey on quail babies. Such a sad thing to see, those quail parents crying.  Hope you can solve the problem.
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