Cemetery Roadrunners

Gallery: Man & FaunaPosted October 12, 201086 views4 comments

I've posted a few photos since May over in the Avian Gallery of our local roadrunners. A pair of Greater Roadrunners decided to nest in the middle of town, in the cemetery. This was the first documented nesting in our county, and the farthest north nesting documented in Kansas. The first nest was deep in a tree; the second nest was on a branch overhanging the road through the cemetery. The two nests produced 5 total juveniles. This juvenile is from the second nest, and is perched on a large headstone. I took this over the weekend, and the juvenile fledged about a month ago. The roadrunners have been fairly tolerant of people and a certain photographer :). The adults appear to have left town, but at least 2 juveniles are still around the cemetery.

Comments

4 comments

Comment posted by Jay Miller on October 14, 2010 at 3:22 PM

Rob,
Very nice capture. Your diligence has paid-off.

Registered on September 17, 2010, 50 Posts, 66 Comments

Comment posted by Buck Ward on October 14, 2010 at 6:07 PM

Looks like you've had better luck than Wyle E. Coyote. I wonder if you're using an Acme camera.

Documentation of the first and northernmost fledgling is certainly worthwhile photojournalism. Image-wise, the texture of the stone and the texture of the roadrunner aren't distinctly separate enough - the roadrunner doesn't stand out well against its background.

PS. I didn't know that roadrunners had blue-green tail feathers. cool.

Registered on December 8, 2003, 96 Posts, 1917 Comments

Comment posted by Hank Pennington on October 14, 2010 at 7:04 PM

Excellent Rob! Growing up in New Mexico, this was my favorite bird. And it's the state bird, as a matter of fact. For decades a succession of pairs nested in a tree right outside my grandmother's kitchen window, so we got well acquainted.

I've always admired their adaptability around humans, though I'm quite surprised to hear of them in Kansas.

Speaking of colors, with winter coming on: Watch them first thing on sunny mornings. They turn their back to the sun and fluff their feathers to reveal a distinctive black "warming spot," which they aim at the warming orb. Evidently they thought of solar energy a long time before we did!

Registered on November 1, 2003, 226 Posts, 1532 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on October 22, 2010 at 6:22 PM

We see many of them in Tucson so I was very surprised to read about this family up in Kansas. I wonder if they will stick around during the winter?
Nice detail in the larger verison, way to go.

Registered on September 17, 2009, 302 Posts, 5535 Comments