Mountain Quail

At 7000 feet elevation, around a bend in the road up to Mount Pinos in Ventura County, California, two companions and I completely unexpectedly came upon a flock of nine Mountain Quail foraging by the roadside. Unfortunately the camera was in the trunk of the car, and by the time I could get to it, the birds which had started off no more than fifteen feet from the car, were scurrying away downhill through the brush and I was able to get only this one fleeting photo.  From that day on, the camera now always sits beside me when I am driving.