I have a new friend

[wackyjacky1]

Toss him a rattlesnake.

Love the pics! After mockingbirds, roadrunners are my fave. We have 'em all over the place down here.

[Miranda]

Awe, what a sweet lil critter of nature. We don't have those here. I love nature, animals, and feeding my fine feathered friends. In the midwest frozen winters water is VERY hard for the birds to find. My flying babies even have a heated bird bath I supply year round. It's amazing. No matter how bad the temps, the unit performs like a champ (only 1" deep H20 also). It draws even more birds because you are the main stash of it all. If you figure out what he eats, put out a very shallow dish of water. He might be thrilled. Thx for sharing those pics.

[Smilie]

What a cool bird! Thanks for sharing!

[Trekhawk]

Yipee!
I was hoping you would get some pics of this cute guy. I have only seen a roadrunner in books before this post (well I have seen the roadrunner cartoon too).
Thanks Sundial for sharing.

What does a roadrunner sound like? I assume it does not go me meep like the cartoon.

[sundial]

Trekhawk, I wasn't sure if the pics would turn out because of the lens I was using--and the fact I wasn't using the tripod. I was pleasantly surprised to see the detail in the photos. He is such an interesting guy. I haven't heard him make any sounds yet. He was jumping on bugs when I watched him in the yard. Didn't see him today but I'll put out more seed and water.

[Trekhawk]

Trekhawk, I wasn't sure if the pics would turn out because of the lens I was using--and the fact I wasn't using the tripod. I was pleasantly surprised to see the detail in the photos. He is such an interesting guy. I haven't heard him make any sounds yet. He was jumping on bugs when I watched him in the yard. Didn't see him today but I'll put out more seed and water.

You did well Sundial. I have no camera skills so lucky it was not up to me to get the shots.
Hope you get to see some more of this cute guy.

[7rider]

What does a roadrunner sound like? I assume it does not go me meep like the cartoon.

That is great! So glad you got a picture of it.

Cornell's All About Birds sight had an audio file with the call of a roadrunner.
I don't know how to insert just the audio file, but here's the link to the page. See the multimedia file on the right column, a bit below the picture.
(I thought they went "meep meep!" too!

[Zen]

That's a nice site.
I surely would have thought that was a dove.

[Red Rock]

Those are great pictures. They are awsome birds too. We have them here in the Southwest USA. Sometimes I see them when I am on walks or rides. I have never been able to get close enough to take pics though. So good work!

Red Rock

[Trekhawk]

That is great! So glad you got a picture of it.

Cornell's All About Birds sight had an audio file with the call of a roadrunner.
I don't know how to insert just the audio file, but here's the link to the page. See the multimedia file on the right column, a bit below the picture.
(I thought they went "meep meep!" too!

Thanks for the link. Yep definitely no "meep meep" .

[sundial]

Cornell's All About Birds sight had an audio file with the call of a roadrunner.

Thanks 7Rider, I wouldn't have thought the roadrunner sounded like a dove. I really like Cornell's ornithology department. When I was researching pics of the ivory billed woodpecker they were very helpful.

Here's some facts from the Cornell website:

Cool Facts

The Greater Roadrunner can reach running speeds of 30 km/hr (18.6 mi/hr). It holds its head and tail flat and parallel to the ground when running at its top speed.

To warm up after a cold desert night, a roadrunner will turn its back to the sun, fluff its back feathers, and expose skin along its back. This skin is black in order to absorb more solar energy.

The Greater Roadrunner eats many venomous prey items, including scorpions, spiders, and rattlesnakes. Two birds may cooperate to kill a large snake.

The Greater Roadrunner is an opportunistic forager. It frequently captures small birds at bird feeders and nest boxes. One was observed to leap up from hiding in a dry riverbed and knock down a low-flying White-throated Swift.

The desert-dwelling roadrunner uses salt glands in front of its eyes to excrete excess salt from its blood. Such glands are common in ocean-going birds that can drink seawater. The roadrunner is able to get along without drinking water if it eats food with high enough water content, but it will drink readily if water is available.

I've had several little yellow finches hanging around the feeder as well as water. Hope Peet doesn't help himself to the all you can eat birdie buffet.

[Biciclista]

doesn't sound like birdseed is what he wants. Try suet instead. They are carnivorous so fat would be a real treat especially this time of year.