Partridges and Pears

Our Asian pears are ready to be picked! Thankfully this isn't our bumper crop year. It seems that we get that about every other year. This year, we have anywhere from about 20 to 50 on each tree. Multiply that by 30+ trees, and that is still plenty of pears! I usually like to go out and pick the biggest ones every other day or so, and then we start with our list of "Asian pear lovers" (the list grows longer every year), and we either start delivering baskets, or have them come and load up their own boxes. Its time for me to start calling before they all go to the birds...

Having so few pears on the trees makes them really nice and big. This one is bigger than my hand! 

As I was out picking pears, and doing a little evening gardening, I heard a funny little chirp. I couldn't see where it was coming from, but kept hearing it as I moved around the yard. Finally, when I stepped away and went onto the patio, out came a huge covey of quail (I counted at least 23 of them). I had just shut the gate to the front yard, and I think they had planned to use the gate as an exit. 

It was one of the cutest things I have ever seen. They all walked to the closed gate, bumbled around a little bit, pecked at a few seeds and things, and then decided to fly up to perch on the fence.

They sat on the fence for a few minutes, checking out the neighbor's yard, and then the line of them walked along the fence to the front yard and flew back down to the ground and went on their way.

Sometimes, when you are in the exact right place at the exact right time, you get to see something that makes you hold your breath and watch. Tonight was one of those nights for me.