This male Northern BobWhite was likely foraging for food as he scurried through the field. Northern BobWhite hunt on the ground for seeds, leaves, or insects, searching for food visually. This BobWhite seemed to freeze when I spotted him as if to say “If I hold still I will be invisible”. The reason for this immobile behavior is most likely to avoid being detected by potential predators. I appreciated the brief moment he gave me to snap his picture.

The Northern Bobwhite Quail is a very familiar sound for those of us living in the Eastern United States. Many summer evenings their characteristic whistling call Bob-White is heard frequently but these stocky little quail aren’t seen very often. They are very well camouflaged and tend to hide. They scurry between cover and I felt very lucky to spot this one running along this dirt path (of course he was chasing a female!)