Callipepla californica

Attempts to bird Point Reyes National Seashore today were somewhat misguided and ill-fated, given the unrelenting thick fog. We stopped off at the Bear Valley Visitor Center around midday, which, as long as I've been around, has been a reliable location for large coveys of California Quail.

This is of course the state bird of California, adorned in the finest adult male plumage. I'm hard-pressed to tire of its exquisite beauty.