Yesterday, we spotted a covey of quail on our morning walk through the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch in Gilbert, Arizona. The male Gambel’s Quail was alerted to something and he took the high ground to see what was going on. Most of the other quail took shelter under nearby shrubs as he watched intently for potential dangers to his covey. His gambit paid off as whatever danger he perceived soon dissipated and he walked off the branch and rejoined the covey. We were lucky that the slight overcast mitigated the harsh sunlight that seems to be the norm here, even relatively early in the morning.