My wife called me at work about 4:45 today to describe a strange bird in our
driveway. She described it as a large (8-10" tall) quail-like bird with a
smallish head and longish tail. It had a red bill, and orange-red feet and
legs; it was brown on the back, gray underneath, with conspicuous black-and
white barring on the flanks. She also described a black eyeline and a black
streak down either side of the throat.

The bird was feeding on something in the driveway, where it stayed for about
40 minutes. It also appeared to nap for a few minutes. She was able to
observe it naked eye within about 25 feet, and at a slightly greater distance
with 7x binoculars (she grabbed a pair of astro bins that don't focus closer
than 30 ft).

The bird called three times; long series of loud, rapid chak-chak-chak-chak.
When she went out to try to snap a picture, the bird walked up the driveway
and down the street a couple of houses, where it flew over a fence and into a
back yard. We were unable to locate the bird at 6:00 when I got home.

She is quite sure, after looking at the NGS Field Guide that the bird was a
Chukar. Can anyone think of a more likely candidate? If not, how did a
Chukar wind up in Mapleleaf? An escapee?

Dave Brodeur