This morning, I believe I saw a quail hanging out in the meadow between the Quays and campus. It was raining and I was rushing to make an appointment on time, but I stopped briefly to investigate. Definitely not a pheasant. Quails here are very different from quails at home. Here, they are small game birds, sort of shaped like a rugby ball. Similar to a female pheasant but not as tall and lacking a long tail. (http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/q/quail/index.aspx) At home, they're closer to the size of a dove and have little thing on top of their heads. It's occasionally seen dashing across a road--sometimes with chicks in tow. (http://www.birdzilla.com/images/stories/state-birds/california-quail-450.jpg)
On the way home, two adults and one adolescent oyster catcher poking their long beaks into the Colne mud at low tide.
I really ought to carry my camera around more.
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