OK SO I'M OUT DOIN' THE FARM THING TODAY... MOWING AND WORKING ON THE 1000'S OF LIL PROJECTS/ IMPROVEMENTS/ MAINTENANCE ISSUES THAT SEEM NEVER-ENDING. NOTICED THE BUTLERS WERE A TAD MORE FIRED UP IN THE HEAT OF DAY THAN THEY USUALLY ARE, BUT REALLY DIDNT PAY MUCH ATTENTION TO IT... JUST KEPT ON DOIN' MY THING... ABOUT 10 MINUTES LATER I JUST NOTICED SOMETHING MOVING ON THE EDGE OF MY PERIPHEARL VISION WHILE WORKING... 3 SECOND DELAY FOR IT TO FILTER THROUGH ALL THE NUERONS AND INTERCHANGES AND REACH THE MAIN COMPUTER, GET RECOGNIZED AND SET OFF THE ALARM--- THATS A BOB WHITE LOOSE ON THE GROUND OVER BY THE FENCE! AW CRAP! HOW'D HE GET OUT!?
SO WE GO INTO FULL BLOWN LIVESTOCK RETENTION EMERGENCY PLAN... GRAB THE NET AND CALL THE LABS! SHORT STORY LONG HE GETS SNATCHED IN THE NET... WHEW, GOT EM.... CAN REMEBER THINKING HE'S A LIL PUNY... MUST BE FROM THE BACHELOR/ GROW OUT MEAT PEN... NOW ALL MY BOBS ARE FIRED UP AND GETTING MORE SO BY THE MINUTE...
WALK OVER TO THE PENS AND TO MY DISMAY... NO ONES MISSING! ALL PRESENT AND ACCOUNTED FOR
"MAN, I DONT HAVE ANYONE THIS SMALL IN THE BREEDING PROGRAM. WTH???"--
WALK OVER TO OTHER PENS--- SURE ENOUGH ALL PRESENT AND ACCOUNTED FOR? WHAT GIVES? OK OVER TO THE LAST SET OF PENS....
AGAIN ALL PRESENT AND ACCOUNTED FOR... NOW I'M STUMPED
I THINK THE HEAT IS PLAYING MORE TRICKS ON ME THAN JUST MAKING MY MIND SLOW AND LAZY...
THEN AS I STAND THERE BEWILDERED LOOKING AT THE UNFORTUNATE FELLOW ME AND THE DOGS MANAGED TO WRANGLE IN THE NET ALL SCRUNCHED UP AND TICKED OFF I HEAR IT... "AH BOB WHIIITE!" AND IT SLOWLY TRICKLES THROUGH ALL THE NUERONS AND INTERCHANGES ONCE MORE... COMPUTER SAYS- "HEY WAIT A MINUTE! I'M STANDING IN FRONT OF THE BOB PENS LOOKING AT THEM AND THE ESCAPEE... IF THATS THE CASE WHO IN THE HECK IS CALLING BEHIND ME?!" TURN AND LOOK AND THERE GOES ANOTHER SCURRYING DOWN THE FENCE LINE... NOW I HAVE JUST CHECKED ALL THE PENS AND THEY ARE SECURE, SO IT SLOWLY STARTS TO DAWN ON ME...DOH! THESE ARENT MY QUAIL!
--- WHOOPS
BY THE TIME I TURN THE UNFORTUNATE LAD LOOSE MY BRAIN HAS COME FULLY AWAKE AND IS NOW NOTICING I AM SURROUNDED BY CALLING BOB WHITE QUAIL... MOST OF WHICH ARENT MINE, THEY'RE WILD QUAIL. APPARENTLY DRAWN IN CLOSE BY EITHER BREEDING SEASON OR THE FRESHLY MOWED LAND OFFERING EASY PICKINGS ON A NUMBER OF NEWLY EXPOSED BUGS THAT NO LONGER HAVE ANY LONG GRASS TO HIDE IN. AS I SET HIM LOOSE I TOOK A MOMENT TO EXAMINE THE LAD... HEALTHY LIL GUY, NOT VERY OLD BUT OLD ENOUGH TO BE AT OR NEAR FULL SIZED FOR A WILD MALE BOB.. AS I GENTLY LET HIM OUT OF THE NET I MUTTERED BEAT IT KID, THESE BIG OLD FAT BUTLERS AROUND HERE WILL WHOOP YOUR LIL BUTT TO DEATH... THIS PLACE IS DANGEROUS FOR YOU.
I AM FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO STILL HAVE A DECENT WILD BOB POPULATION HERE, ENJOY HEARING THEM THROUGH OUT THE YEAR AND EVEN SEEING 1 ONCE IN A WHILE... TODAYS GOOD FORTUNE WAS EXCEPTIONAL... IN ALL, OVER THE PERIOD OF 4 1/2 HRS WE WATCHED OVER 30 BIRDS OF ALL AGES INCLUDING SINGLE MALES , COUPLES, AND EVEN A FAMILY GROUP MILL AROUND ABOUT THE EDGES OF THE FARM ENJOYING THE HOT WEATHER AND A FRESH BUFFET OF EASY BUGS AND SEEDS A TRUELY NEAT EXPERIENCE FOR US (WELL ALL BUT THE LABS, THEY JUST CANT UNDERSTAND WHY THEY WERE'NT ALLOWED TO GET THE NEW "ESCAPEES"
SO WE GO INTO FULL BLOWN LIVESTOCK RETENTION EMERGENCY PLAN... GRAB THE NET AND CALL THE LABS! SHORT STORY LONG HE GETS SNATCHED IN THE NET... WHEW, GOT EM.... CAN REMEBER THINKING HE'S A LIL PUNY... MUST BE FROM THE BACHELOR/ GROW OUT MEAT PEN... NOW ALL MY BOBS ARE FIRED UP AND GETTING MORE SO BY THE MINUTE...
WALK OVER TO THE PENS AND TO MY DISMAY... NO ONES MISSING! ALL PRESENT AND ACCOUNTED FOR
WALK OVER TO OTHER PENS--- SURE ENOUGH ALL PRESENT AND ACCOUNTED FOR? WHAT GIVES? OK OVER TO THE LAST SET OF PENS....
AGAIN ALL PRESENT AND ACCOUNTED FOR... NOW I'M STUMPED
THEN AS I STAND THERE BEWILDERED LOOKING AT THE UNFORTUNATE FELLOW ME AND THE DOGS MANAGED TO WRANGLE IN THE NET ALL SCRUNCHED UP AND TICKED OFF I HEAR IT... "AH BOB WHIIITE!" AND IT SLOWLY TRICKLES THROUGH ALL THE NUERONS AND INTERCHANGES ONCE MORE... COMPUTER SAYS- "HEY WAIT A MINUTE! I'M STANDING IN FRONT OF THE BOB PENS LOOKING AT THEM AND THE ESCAPEE... IF THATS THE CASE WHO IN THE HECK IS CALLING BEHIND ME?!" TURN AND LOOK AND THERE GOES ANOTHER SCURRYING DOWN THE FENCE LINE... NOW I HAVE JUST CHECKED ALL THE PENS AND THEY ARE SECURE, SO IT SLOWLY STARTS TO DAWN ON ME...DOH! THESE ARENT MY QUAIL!
I AM FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO STILL HAVE A DECENT WILD BOB POPULATION HERE, ENJOY HEARING THEM THROUGH OUT THE YEAR AND EVEN SEEING 1 ONCE IN A WHILE... TODAYS GOOD FORTUNE WAS EXCEPTIONAL... IN ALL, OVER THE PERIOD OF 4 1/2 HRS WE WATCHED OVER 30 BIRDS OF ALL AGES INCLUDING SINGLE MALES , COUPLES, AND EVEN A FAMILY GROUP MILL AROUND ABOUT THE EDGES OF THE FARM ENJOYING THE HOT WEATHER AND A FRESH BUFFET OF EASY BUGS AND SEEDS A TRUELY NEAT EXPERIENCE FOR US (WELL ALL BUT THE LABS, THEY JUST CANT UNDERSTAND WHY THEY WERE'NT ALLOWED TO GET THE NEW "ESCAPEES"
