I'd Rather B Birdin': roadRUNNER

Two weeks after USA's Memorial Day Weekend, our county has had an uptick of covid19 cases. So, once again, our birding trips are close to 'nil' these days. I do get antsy every now and then, and go out birding where I remain in the car...just more or less, drive by 'shooting' with the camera lens. June 24 was one of those days. I hopped in the car and drove a lot of the desolated county roads about 20 miles from home. There, along the cotton and sorghum fields, I saw a couple of birds I haven't seen in years. One, the Greater Roadrunner. It ran in front of the car as it crossed the road. I stopped and opened the passenger window, hoping to get a photo of it. Too late, it was long gone. It flew [which is unusual for a roadrunner] into the chaparral; disappearing. Only to reappear in my rear view mirror on a fence post, behind me. I stopped and slowly backed up to be by its side, and it stayed there long enough for me to get a good supply of photos of the elusive bird! I was pleased. I even got a video recording of it preening. Then, I put the car back into gear and slowly made my way down the gravel road. Only to have a trio of Bobwhite Quail to appear. Of course, they too are very skittish birds, and took cover in the cotton field. Something flushed them out and they came up on the road again. I opened the window, stuck my camera away from the mirror and took a few pictures. Not good, clear, photos but at least a record of the sighting. I was truly elated to see these two bird species since, like I said, it's been a long time coming. Both the Roadrunner and the Quail I haven't seen in the wild in close to a decade.

Other birds seen this fine summer morning were, red winged blackbirds, meadowlarks, sparrows, ducks in the barrow ditches filled with rain water, scissortailed flycatchers, cowbirds, mockingbirds, doves, dickcissels, and maybe some pipits [yet to be identified without a closer inspection of my photos]. Oh and one lone white tailed deer in the far reaches...way in the distance through my binocular's vision... of the field [on private property].

DICKCISSEL
photos taken: Chapman Ranch
habitat map: Dickcissel
Length: 6.5 inches
Wingspan: 10 inches

SCISSORTAIL[ed] FLYCATCHER
photos taken: Chapman Ranch
habitat map: Flycatcher
Length: 11-15 inches
Wingspan: 15 inches

MOTTLED DUCK
photo taken: Chapman Ranch
habitat map: Duck
Length: 22 inches
Wingspan: 30 inches

GREATER ROADRUNNER
photos taken: Chapman Ranch
habitat map: Roadrunner
Length: 20-24 inches
Wingspan: 18-24 inches
Note: Did you know they are of the Cuckoo family?

NORTHERN BOBWHITE QUAIL
photos taken: Chapman Ranch
habitat map: Quail
Length: 9-10 inches
Wingspan: 14-16 inches

Always use HYPERLINK when sharing your link on Linking Tool Form
For use of graphic link in your post, copy text in gray text area below and paste into your blog post:

or use text linking only copy text in gray text area below and paste into your blog post:

Those participating this week:

A Quiet Corner
Me and My Camera
Birds Seen in Europe and Africa
Me and My Camera [2]
Cranium Bolts
Sallie (Full Time Life)
Linda, Virginia, USA
Reds Stand Out
Lavender Dreams
Travels With Birds [no hyperlink used]
Jean@SoNotOrganized
Not Afraid of Color...
Lea's Menagerie
Phil UK
Eileen
Rosyfinch Ramblings

A couple of months ago, while walking on one of the unfinished pathways of the newest birding facility in the outskirts of the city's residential area, in front of me ran a roadrunner; crossing the path. In an instant it was in my sight, and then in a blink of an eye, it was gone. At least I thought it was a roadrunner. I was in total surprise. When I got up to the area of the tall, wintry yellowed grasses, I stopped and searched the area. To no avail. Bud was way behind me at the time, so I just waited for him to catch up as I listened and searched. Now, at this spot on the one of many undeveloped tracks that coil throughout the area, we are within a stone throwing distance from the bay water. I just didn't think I saw right...a roadrunner so near water? I always had them pictured in my mind more or less as a desert dweller. Certainly I was seeing things. Well, since then, we have walked more of the back-woods paths several times. On one particular Friday, staying away from the beaches and islands to allow for the Spring Break College Revelers to have their fun time ...we traversed the areas close to home.

We picked another dirt pathway and began walking. This time a path that headed directly to the secluded bay...on the back side. The water level has been really quite low, making muddy shores and no party-goers here, we advanced around to a hidden alcove. On our left, water....ibis, osprey, herons, spoonbills, plovers, and sanderlings --- on our right, high grasses and winter's last barren brush and bushes with mockingbirds, a tennessee warbler[?], cardinals, savannah sparrows galore, a few yellow rumped warblers, and one lone brown thrasher.

As I rounded the last curve along the sticky, muddy, shore, I spotted it on a branch. Tho the sun was behind the bird, and seeing mostly a silhouette, I could tell by its head crown it was a roadrunner!! I hadn't been seeing things months ago afterall. Roadrunners do exist this close to the water's edge! A subtropical desert if you will. But, thing is, this is another first for me...no, not seeing roadrunners...but seeing one perched in a tree!! In the past, I have seen them always crossing the road in front of me when driving along a deserted highway. And they can run fast. Of course, in the car, the camera is no where close enough for photographing. But this time...

...returning to where the car was parked, we had to walk along the paved walkway near newly plowed farmland. There, Bud spotted, in the far corners of the field, a family of four sandhill cranes. Two juveniles and their parents. All day long I was singing "Roadrunner, the coyot-e-ee's after you". By the way, Wiley Coyote and the Roadrunner was a favorite Warner Bros. cartoon!! And no, we didn't see any ACME® products anywhere!!

If you're on the highway and Road Runner goes beep beep.

Just step aside or you might end up in a heap.

Road Runner, Road Runner runs on the road all day.

Even the coyote can't make him change his ways.

Road Runner, the coyote's after you.

Road Runner, if he catches you you're through.

Road Runner, the coyote's after you.

Road Runner, if he catches you you're through.

That coyote is really a crazy clown.

When will he learn he can never mow him down?

Poor little Road Runner never bothers anyone.

Just runnin' down the road's his idea of having fun.

GREATER ROADRUNNER & SANDHILL CRANE

photos taken: Oso Bay Nature Preserve - Corpus Christi, Texas

habitat range: Roadrunner - Sandhill Crane

TRIVIA:
The roadrunner has distinctive X-shaped footprint—with two toes pointing forward and two backward...

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.

Both sexes are exactly alike in colors and markings.

Now...share your birding experiences:

§ Elusive...

§ ...See any ACME® Products Anywhere?

Table of Contents