Birds and Nature

I spotted this Greater Roadrunner south of where I live just over a week ago but I twisted my knee so wasn't up to sitting at my computer to upload and process these pics. Roadrunners are fairly uncommon in my county. The last ones I saw in Fremont County were a pair together in Jan 2015 This roadrunner spent about 10 minutes just perched behind some grass (first two pics), presumably it thought it was hidden behind the grass. When it moved, it moved quickly across short open stretches then slowed again when behind a few blades of tall grass, even stopping to stretch as shown just above. In the pic just above it was moving quickly across a short open area--as above, it takes on a sleek low profile. It makes me think I hear it a 'beep, beep' as it takes off. SeEtta

Greater Roadrunner from SeEtta Moss on Vimeo . This is a short video clip I took of the Greater Roadrunner I found at Brush Hollow SWA yesterday. These birds are so entertaining to watch. SeEtta

A good thing I was driving only a few miles per hour this afternoon at the Brush Hollow State Wildlife Area because I had to slam on my brakes to keep from turning a live Greater Roadrunner into a hood ornament on my car. This not-so-small bird came out of nowhere and ran rapidly in front of my car. This is the first Roadrunner I have seen in my area in a few years. SeEtta

Yes, this pic only shows one roadrunner and the title says a pair. Indeed I did see a pair of Greater Roadrunners today at Brush Hollow Reservoir near Canon City, Co, but as is most often the case with birds they were not interested in posing for me. Indeed, this roadrunner was 80-100 feet away when I took this pic. The Canon City area and southeast Colorado in general is at the upper limit for Greater Roadrunner. Though I see this species around here, they are quite uncommon, and I have only rarely seen a pair together here. Brush Hollow Reservoir is a fairly scenic area as shown in the bottom pic. It is an irrigation storage reservoir and it is very low as much of the water has been drawn down due to a fairly dry summer here. According to Birds of North America online, "Well-established pairs stay on their territory year-round." As the two roadrunners I saw were traveling together, and both were adults, they would be an established pair. I heard a flock of Pinyon J...