empty nest, everything gone

Not talking about me, here. I'm referring to the little nest of quail's eggs by the front steps. A few nights ago, I came home to total nest devastation. Feathers everywhere, eggs scattered about (didn't take a picture, sorry). I hoped the mama wasn't dead, that she might come back, so I scooped the eggs back into a pile with a piece of broken pottery.

Then, Sunday, I notice all but one egg was gone. Just gone. Something likes eggs, I guess.

Monday morning, even that last lone egg was gone.

I'm sad about that.

I know quail can be a nuisance, that they eat the greens in your garden and pull up baby grasses when you're trying to fill in those dead spots on the lawn. But they're also pretty cute, and I'm sure they eat bugs as well.