[EBB Sightings] cryptic coloration in a CA quail chick

Speaking of gallinaceous birds, as I was driving along
Skyline Blvd. yesterday, just beyond Huckleberry
Preserve, a tiny quail chick stumbled across the road
ahead of my car, and stopped in the far lane. It
seemed to be injured, or perhaps just youthfully
clumsy. At any rate, I pulled over, car still running,
and ran across the road, since I couldn't bear the
thought of it geting squashed by oncoming traffic.
Since I was on the inside of a blind curve, without
much of a shoulder to stand on, I was a little
concerned about getting squashed myself. But I tried
to save it anyway. 

The bird scurried away into the dried grass at the
roads edge...and essentially disappeared. I carefully
parted the grasses for several minutes, listening for
cars and looking for it, but to no avail. Hopefully,
Mom was nearby with the rest of her brood, and the
chick would make it back across the road and not have
a close encounter with homebound traffic. A lot of
ifs. 

Cryptic coloration was up and running pretty well,
tho.

Debbie Viess