A Bad Day for the Quail

On Monday of last week,  the neighborhood fox boldly paid us a visit. It prowled around on and under the deck hoping to catch a plump quail. The curious thing that developed, was the teamwork with a couple of goshawks who provided aerial attack while the fox worked the deck and grounds.

Seasonably cold temperatures and snow had kept prey from moving and congregating, so it appears the predators became more daring and inventive than normal.

Don't know if Mister or Missus Fox enjoyed any success, but a hawk did snatch a quail off the railing later that morning. We suspended feeding for a bit, recognizing predators have their point in life and must play their part as well.