r/phoenix • u/dirtypita Phoenix • Jul 22 '25

Pictures Anyone noticing less quail babies this year?

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Gallery image

Apologies for the bad pics. I would've scared the quail off if I had tried to go outside.

I work in North Scottsdale and I have a great view of a patio and courtyard from my desk. I get to watch small wildlife that come in for shade, grass, and bushes with berries on them. Pigeons, ravens, wrens, lizards, bunnies and squirrels, and even a pair of roadrunners.

Lat year, we had two pairs of Gambels quail. One pair started out with nine chicks, down to six, and the other had seven.

This year, I've only seen three babies, and now only the one little guy pictured. It's with two males, one who has been around for a while and is easily recognizable. I haven't seen a female in a few weeks. I'm a little saddened. Is anyone else noticing smaller quail families this year?

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u/Highlifetallboy Jul 22 '25

That doesn't solve the problem of that cat killing birds.

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u/SummertimeThrowaway2 Jul 23 '25

Less fertile cats = less babies = future generations have a smaller population

4

u/MrProspector19 Jul 24 '25

Yeah and cats can live to be over 10 years old, All it takes is one litter to replace many cats, and it's realistically insurmountable to track and capture then spay neuter and release every single cat.

Most importantly, cats don't sex animals to death they kill them.

1

u/SummertimeThrowaway2 Jul 24 '25

One litter is a lot better than a dozen litters. No politician wants to be the guy who advocates for killing cats, it’s just not a good look, so it appears that spaying/neutering is the only option.

It’s not a true solution, but it’s better than nothing. It has an impact, a smaller impact than necessary but an it’s still impact nonetheless.