This was a surprise on the front porch rail today.





Window screen distortion.

What part of the world has that type of vegetation and . . . AND Roadrunners?

quote:

Originally posted by TCLouis:
What part of the world has that type of vegetation and . . . AND Roadrunners?

Apparently SW Missouri. Roadrunners are not especially common here but I do see them now and then along the roads where there are overgrazed cattle pastures. Never had one on my place before.

It won't stay. My front field is long grass prairie. They prefer more open range.

I don't think they are "common" anywhere.
Never know, they may find plenty to eat in what must be a natural prairie grass field.

Interesting Ann. I wouldn't have pictured roadrunners in MO.

quote:

Originally posted by TCLouis:
I don't think they are "common" anywhere.
Never know, they may find plenty to eat in what must be a natural prairie grass field.

Lots of them running around here. We get them passing through the backyard regularly. Some even stick around, though I prefer they move along and leave the lizards and baby quail alone.

We have them here in Nevada. I've had them on top of my block walls and in my backyard many times over the years.

The one that visited has not returned but I recently saw one crossing the road at a nearby dairy farm.

At a distance they look quite grey but up close their feathers are quite colorful. I have been watching them over the years on my property here. They have a tendency to put their nests close to human habitation (smart move to keep predators away). I have watched a particular pair over the years where they nested behind my shop. They had one nest that they BOTH took care of. They had a routine of jumping from one limb to the next to achieve the crest of my shop, then had all the sight of the world. They will walk the ridge + scope out any food to be found, be it a snake, centipede, whatever. Like ALL nature's creatures, they all have a place in the big picture. I just found it impressive as I had no previous knowledge of the species. At the risk of sounding like something out of "Animal House", knowledge is good!

How cool! I didn't picture them as being close living to human habitation.

As I said, a really smart move on their part as the predators will not. Also the alteration of the pair on setting/ guarding the nest. Neat animals.

Would never have guessed you had them in Missouri, Ann. Plenty here in the New Mexico desert, of course. Any day I see a roadrunner I count as a good day. They are just so darned likable. Only member of the cuckoo family in North America, I believe.

Bill, it was a surprise to me they are here too. There can be some serious winter weather at times in SWMO. I reckon they survive on small rodents for the cold months.

Used to see roadrunners at North Ft Polk, Louisiana which is about the only good thing I can say about the place. Neat birds!

I suspect roadrunners are hard on baby quail. A couple of years ago I was walking to the mail box when out in the sagebrush I heard a real commotion coming my way. About ten feet from me a roadrunner appeared with a baby quail in it's mouth, with three adult quail in hot pursuit. The quail caught the roadrunner and proceeded to flail away. At some point the roadrunner spit out the baby who was still alive, but had either a kinked or broken wing. Two of the quail broke off the engagement, but I saw one still chasing the roadrunner about 25 yards away when they crossed a paved street. Certainly one of the coolest things I have ever witnessed in nature. I would have never expected that kind of collective defense to be put up by quail.

Yes, they do kill a lot of quail. That must have been a sight to see.

In one of PO Ackleys reloading book there was a story about an Arizona game warden.
He was talking to a hunter on the edge of the road. The hunter said he had got his limit of pheasant or grouse, some game bird. The warden thought it strange, as there was very few that year. When he asked to see them, the hunter opened his trunk and showed him his bag limit of ... roadrunners. The warden said as there was no protection on them at the time, he bade the hunter "good job" and went on his way.

as much as I have always enjoyed quail hunting, in the 80s we had an infestation of fire ants here in central Texas + as the quail clutch on the ground, they were almost eradicated down here, so I don't hunt them anymore. I have no problems killing fire ants though.