We had a visitor to our back yard today!

[dreamflower]

We had an unusual visitor to our back yard, and the DH snapped some pics with his phone. I've seen a few from a distance since we moved here, but I'd never seen one close up before...

	Roadrunner We had this roadrunner visit our back yard today. (3/6/10)
	Another view of the roadrunner He seemed very nonchallant about our presence.
	Roadrunner, meep-meep! He took off running when the neighbor's chihuahua started barking at him.

Comments

[shirebound]

Oh, look at that! I didn't know they were so large.

[dreamflower]

They are large! And strange-looking when they run! They are native to the area, and I've seen a few from time to time, but this one was just strolling about the yard and didn't seem the least afraid of us (just of the chihuahua next door!)

[virtuella.livejournal.com]

Cool! I've only ever seen them in pictures, it must be great to see them in real life.

[dreamflower]

They are an interesting bird, to be sure! Of course, this one did not seem any too bright, having no fear of us whatsoever, even though we were right there in the yard, while the neighbor's little dog was separated by a fence, and scarcely any bigger than the bird he was barking at!

[slightlytookish]

Wow, so that's what a roadrunner really looks like? Looney Tunes got it all wrong :D

Thanks for sharing! I don't think I'll ever see one here in NY (although we had a loose coyote a few years back, so you never know!) *g*

[dreamflower]

Coyotes seem to have a wider range. I thing these birds are found only in the mid-west.

I remember seeing a fascinating TV documentary once about a pair of hawks who made their nest on a high-rise in Manhattan, and returned year after year. People came in droves to watch them.

[aspenjules.livejournal.com]

hehehe - yep!! That's a roadrunner! I've seen them here from time to time and even saw one running the rooflines of the houses across the street from us before. I didn't know you had them in OK though! Cool!

We also get coyotes, though not as often as before all the housing went up. Never seen one try to catch the other though.

[dreamflower]

Yes they seem to abound here! And it's easy to see how they get their name, as they can be spotted running alongside the highways! But I didn't realize they would come into a populated area like this.

Noticing the speed this one displayed when the dog started barking, I can see why. I don't think many real-life coyotes would be as persistant-- or as stupid-- as poor old Wiley!

[lily-the-hobbit.livejournal.com]

They are a lot bigger than I expected.

[dreamflower]

This one was good sized. Smaller than a chicken, but somewhat larger than a pigeon, and the legs are quite long, although not as long as a heron or a crane.

[claudia603.livejournal.com]

oh my goodness! how neat! They are handsome creatures, aren't they? I love seeing unusual wildlife in the yard. We saw a big hawk some time in the late fall. Twas cool!

Of course when I hear the word "roadrunner" I think of this MIA song (Bamboo Banga) where the first words are, "Roadrunner, roadrunner...going 100 miles per hour..."" :)

[dreamflower]

They are handsome! The markings are distinctive and very pretty, but also camoflage them very well-- I wish this one showed up better, but even in RL he rather blended in to its background!

We've had one particular hawk that shows up in our yard from time to time ever since the first year we moved here. Since we feed the birds, our yard makes a tempting hunting ground.

*grin* This one could really move out when he decided to run! I don't think he made it up to 100, though, LOL!

[cairistiona7.livejournal.com]

Oh how cool! Roadrunners don't come as far north as where we live, but I did see one in extreme southern Missouri once when we were driving around by Tablerock Lake. It was a such a thrill to see it just outside the car.

[dreamflower]

I'd never seen one until we moved here. Since then, I've spotted several, but only from a distance. This was quite a treat.

[winterbard.livejournal.com]

Where are you at now? I've lost track. certainly didnt expect Speedipus Rex

in your neck of the woods.

They're interesting fellows thats for sure. I had a boss once who practically raised one by hand. When it grew up it whould come by the shop and was given meatballs as a treat.

[dreamflower]

We've been in Oklahoma for three years-- ever since we moved here a year after Katrina.

This one certainly showed no fear of us!

[lady-roisin.livejournal.com]

How funny! Today we had a gigantic Heron come sit on our garage roof. Our Akita, Kenobi, went absolutely bonkers. I had never sen a bird that large in the wild before! It was HUGE! It was coming in to eat the Koi fish in the neighbor's pond.

Your roadrunner is much cuter than our heron was for sure. :-)

[dreamflower]

When we still lived in Mississippi, we had a heron come to our backyard once, after a torrential rainstorm. He hung around for a few hours before leaving.

The roadrunner was a lot of fun to watch!

[harrowcatliz.livejournal.com]

Roadrunners are new to me except as the cartoon. Great pics

[dreamflower]

They seem to be native to this part of the country. I'd never seen one until we moved up here. This is the first time I've seen one up close!

[ansostuff.livejournal.com]

Fascinating! I've never seen pictures of that before I think. Nor have I seen the bird itself.

Cool!

[dreamflower]

One of the cool things about having moved to a different part of the country is seeing birds and wildlife I never saw before!