Here is another photo from our recent travels to Prescott, AZ. We were visited by a pair of roadrunners on our first two mornings, but then we did not see them again until the very last day when I captured this moment.
Prior to this trip I had never before seen a roadrunner that was not being chased by a reckless coyote. But I new exactly what they were the moment I first saw them. Their sleek movement and distinctive profile were a dead giveaway. They actually reminded me of Steven Spielberg’s depiction of a velociraptor in the Jurassic Park films. I would not be surprised at all if roadrunners were one of the creatures the animators had studied when determining how their computer-generated predators would come to life.
I was enthralled as I watched these mostly flightless birds perform their courtship rituals right in front of my camera — the tail feathers and head crest rising and falling, the slightly more colorful male prancing about while the female seemed to be begging for food. I was extremely lucky to catch the exact moment when the male gave his offering to the female. I am not quite sure what the delicious little treat was, perhaps a lizard or a grasshopper, or maybe even that dragonfly I had been photographing just the day before.
It was the prefect end to our trip. I still have several more photos that I plan to share from our adventures — centuries old junipers, a visit to an “urban laboratory” in the middle of the desert, and automotive decay along Route 66.
What a cool bird behavior to see and photograph. Some bird mating rituals are really incredible to see.