On my daily bike ride, I go up 24th St. in the North End, hoping to find the resident flock of W. Turkeys. I didn't encounter them today, but on the way back down 24th, I heard an unfamiliar call. I started to head east on Heron when I saw 3 gray birds running along the ground. My initial reaction was that they were some kind of quail. They disappeared under a trailer, and I stopped in the street and activated Merlin. The unfamiliar call was still coming from somewhere nearby, so I waited to see Merlin's opinion. I was quite surprised when it said Gray Partridge. The call continued, but the 3 birds never showed themselves again. From what I saw, they were consistent with a Gray Partridge, but other than color and behavior, I didn't see any field marks.
Needless to say, I will be looking for them (and the turkeys) tomorrow.
Tom McCabe, Boise
