Roadrunners
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I am not in the SW and am missing seeing Roadies, The best alternative was to generate new posts from my archives. Here is one from my last visit to California.
Texas Icons. Roadrunner and Bluebonnets I have been hoping to get this opportunity all this spring. This roadrunner gave me the perfect pose in the perfect spot with the morning sun hitting it. . Thanks for looking and have a great weekend
Two more Arizona shots this evening. This Greater Roadrunner and a Cactus Wren.
Buckeye. Maricopa County, Arizona.
Member of the Flickr Bird Brigade
Activists for birds and wildlife
I missed Cinco de Mayo by a week but my two posts tonight have a SW flavor in a belated recognition. Further, Roadrunners are one of my favorite species to photograph.
Southern California
A Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) in the desert landscape near Buckeye, Arizona, U.S.A.
21 February, 2014.
Slide # GWB_20140221_2848.CR2
Use of this image on websites, blogs or other media without explicit permission is not permitted.
© Gerard W. Beyersbergen - All Rights Reserved Worldwide In Perpetuity - No Unauthorized Use.
A Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) searching for some prey on the desert landscape near Buckeye, Arizona, U.S.A.
Its cryptic colouration allows it to blend so well into the desert landscape habitat in which it lives.
21 February, 2014.
Slide # GWB_20140221_2713.CR2
Use of this image on websites, blogs or other media without explicit permission is not permitted.
© Gerard W. Beyersbergen - All Rights Reserved Worldwide In Perpetuity - No Unauthorized Use.
Roadrunners are aptly named. While they can fly, it seems they do a lot more ground travel. And they can outpace a human in a footrace. But, unlike the cartoons, they cannot outpace a coyote. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, a coyote may top out at a speed of 43 mph (~69 kph) while the roadrunner is only about 1/2 that speed. Still impressive though! They're very well adapted to the Desert Southwest, getting a lot of their moisture from the foods they eat like small juicy mammals or reptiles. Greater roadrunners are roughly the size of a crow (ish). Roadrunners are in the Cuckoo family of birds. (just learned that today 😁)
A greater roadrunner in the rather beige desert in which it lives. I kind of like these tough birds. This one had a hoard of photographers gathered around it. They're not uncommon, but not an everyday sight either.
Roadrunner
Sweetwater wetlands
We made the rounds today. Started at Silverbell Lake and ended up at Sweetwater. Good day of birding.
Tucson, Arizona
I grew up watching the roadrunner cartoon..beep beep..our spring weather came to a screeching halt yesterday with snow and ice 😕..I will assess damages to the spring flowers in a few days...Thank you very much for viewing my photo ! I truly appreciate any faves and comments ! 🐦
At the Great Southwest exhibit, Zoo America in Hershey, PA -
This facility is a gem. Burrowing owls, Roadrunners, Gambel’s quails and desert tortoises coexist in a large indoor garden... without glass or wire caging.
While I was working in my garden putting the seeds in the ground, this curious little guy, my “wild” pet, was sitting on the fence watching me. It knows I usually have a few tasty pieces of meat with me. :))
Technically, I guess they're hatched to run. Regardless, the greater roadrunner is aptly named. They can run at quite a pace. We've seen them in the deep desert or suburban parks like this one. Their tails and crest seem to be quite dynamic - always raising and lowering. Cool birds.
By popular demand (two requests) I'm posting a Greater Roadrunner as part of my desert denizen series.
From the Cornell Lab:
"A bird born to run, the Greater Roadrunner can outrace a human, kill a rattlesnake, and thrive in the harsh landscapes of the Desert Southwest. Roadrunners reach two feet from sturdy bill to white tail tip, with a bushy blue-black crest and mottled plumage that blends well with dusty shrubs. As they run, they hold their lean frames nearly parallel to the ground and rudder with their long tails. Roadrunners have evolved a range of adaptations to deal with the extremes of desert living. Like seabirds, they secrete a solution of highly concentrated salt through a gland just in front of each eye, which uses less water than excreting it via their kidneys and urinary tract. Moisture-rich prey including mammals and reptiles supply them otherwise-scarce water in their diet."
This one was photographed scurrying around in Big Bend National Park.
Photographers know the challenge of getting a good bird in flight shot. When the bird is a Greater Roadrunner, the challenge can be when they're on the ground. Dang they're fast. A close look at this shot reveals the blur on the bird's foot even though the shutter speed was 1/1000.
This one was showing off its speed near Rio Grande Village in Big Bend National Park.
Roadrunners (Geococcyx californianus) are long, slender birds with long expressive tails, shaggy crests and strong legs for running. These birds are known for their swift and characteristic style of running (up to 15 mph for short distances). They prefer dry open habitat with scattered brush. Roadrunners range throughout the southwestern United States and into central Mexico.
This is such a cute picture of these little characters, which are my “pet” (still wild) roadrunners. They are actually watching my 2 “pet” ravens coming in to land.
Roadrunner - on the road - just where one would expect to see him. I love that bit of iridescence at the tip of his tail feathers.
You can see where the roadrunner gets it's name. For whatever reason, I liked this shot. I like the running action
This is a desert bird. They prey on many things, but moisture-rich mammals and reptiles supply them with some water in an otherwise arid environment. According the the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, they eat a variety of poisonous prey including venomous lizards and scorpions to to no ill effect. Apparently they will sometimes hunt rattle snakes in tandem. One distracts the snake by jumping and flapping while the other roadrunner sneaks up and pits it’s head then bashes the snake against a rock. Ok, here’s the gross part - if the snake is too long to swallow whole, the roadrunner will walk around with a bit of the snake hanging out of its mouth, swallowing the snake a bit at a time as the part of the snake in the stomach digests. That to me is just crazy