My wife sent me this, if it'll copy: https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1039304092913986 The bird is a Roadrunner, of course, and yes, they are real, and we have plenty of them around: This guy tried to follow me into the shop! Frank
Love that photo of you looking at the birdie - he looks a character, you just don't look too sure Frank
@Don Alaska When we first moved here, there were a number of roadrunners seen daily. A wash crosses our lot, about 4-5 feet deep, which carries run-off with each rain. More vegetation, and cover, lies down in it, and we did not know then that the wash was a natural hide-out for the quail and cottontails. But as we learned of their existence, we began feeding them, and for quite a long time, no roadrunners were to be seen. Recently, a momma quail showed up out back with 4 tiny babies, their bodies hardly bigger than my thumb, and they vigorously ran after her, keeping close. Thought they would still have been in the nest that small, but they already knew how to scratch the seed and grain loose that we put out, and partake of it. Few days later, only 3 babies showed up. Roadrunner, perhaps, maybe a snake, likely caught one. The quail as well as bunny rabbits are fun to watch, and seem so defenseless against their predators, especially the rabbits. We saw once a stray cat sneak up on a chipmunk and successfully grab it. Attrition rate must be high, yet it's thought the quail have lived in the Desert for thousands of years. Some 1800 years ago, Indians wrote petroglyphs up on the rocks around here, of which many are clearly drawings of quail, with their little ding-a-lings dangling above their heads! Gambel's Quail. The males are discernible by the reddish band on their heads. These birds flit about on foot, rarely flying, though they excel at it. Frank "The Grapevine Canyon Petroglyphs are located in Grapevine Canyon on Spirit Mountain near Laughlin, Nevada, and are listed on the United StatesNational Register of Historic Places.[1] The area is also known as Christmas Tree Pass.[2] While the petroglyphs extend through the canyon, a significant concentration lies at the entrance to the canyon which is at an elevation of 2,395 feet (730 m).[3] The area features over 700 petroglyphs and many rock shelters." See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grapevine_Canyon_Petroglyphs Grapevine Canyon Rock Art
@Frank Sanoica I thought they were big, like the one on the cartoon. Sort of the same size as an ostrich. I'm disappointed.
@Bess Barber About the size of an average chicken. They, like the Quail, prefer to run along the ground, but roadrunners actually are pretty adept fliers. If one happens to be running across the road in front of an oncoming car, I've seen them suddenly take to the air, like a plane lifts off, already traveling pretty fast, and swoop the rest of the way across in safety, only a few feet off the ground. Member of the Cuckoo family. Frank