digitS' wrote:... We have California Quail here at home this winter. That's unusual and kind of fun but they are ALWAYS in the distant garden. I don't know if I would really want to encourage them as a garden companion, however. ...
The
at-home quail have been doing fairly well this winter. One has apparently been lost out of the original 9 but it seems so likely that they would have trouble with cats.
We don't have a cat but it has been snowing quite often the last few weeks, and I
know --- when I go outside this morning that I will find cat tracks in my yard.
I haven't seen the nextdoor neighbor's calico in about 2 months. I'm afraid to ask her about her cat. We are only about 30 yards from a busy arterial. Anyway, it isn't her cat leaving tracks and it doesn't really matter because it's
impossible for this yard or any other to be cat-free in this neighborhood.
Come spring, the quail just cannot be nesting here. In nearly 25 years, I have almost never even seen them within about 500 yards of my home. At that distance, they are often around. It's probably 3 acres of grass and small trees. To the south there are businesses with large parking lots. It can't be a very good place for a cat. ... altho I've seen raccoons. And, I am waiting for the turkeys to show up ...
Gary, you could start a thread on what birds are worst for the gardener

. The turkeys weren't around often enough to cause any noticeable harm the season they showed up in the distant garden but the pheasants all but moved into my salad garden one year!
Steve
We are each other's harvest; we are each other's business; we are each other's magnitude and bond. ~ Gwendolyn Brooks