San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
A roadrunner romance at Mt. Hoo
“Honey, he brought the kids!”
I know what you’re thinking, but this was not a warning. Instead, this was a joyful announcement to my wife as our resident roadrunner showed up with a couple of companions.
Turns out, it was mom, dad and a youngster.
We love our roadrunners, but this is a story of heartbreak, happiness and hope.
For a few years we would regularly see a pair of roadrunners poking at snails, feeding on small lizards, snakes, beetles or hummingbirds. We were not thrilled that they would hunt for hummingbirds by waiting just below the nectar feeders, so I elevated the feeders to discourage this opportunity.
Roadrunners mate for life, so we were saddened when the female disappeared. For two seasons we only saw the male. Nature can be cruel. That’s the heartbreak.
But our bachelor bird continued his daily rounds, foraging through the garden, perching on our rock wall to warm himself in morning sunlight, or stopping by to say hello as I enjoyed morning coffee on the patio.
I liked to think he came to visit with me, but he was far more interested in the hummingbirds swarming around the elevated nectar feeders.
He would acknowledge my presence not more than 10 feet away, then squat down, ready to jump up as the buzz-birds arrived.
Soon, he’d give up, realizing this food source was out of reach and too challenging to catch. He’d dash off in that typical arrowlike way with head and body stretched out in the direction he was traveling. It was a perfect imitation of the famed cartoon character Road Runner.
Almost daily I would encounter this resident bird who is a member of the cuckoo family. He would emerge from a thicket with a small lizard or even a young rattlesnake, beetle or frog to eat.
This is not just any roadrunner. Our Mt. Hoo visitor has refined tastes and has developed a fondness for escargot. I would often see him enjoying snails that he opens by tossing to the concrete to break their shells, making them easier to eat.
Some days, we hear the roadrunner before seeing him.
From the thick chaparral comes the characteristic cooing sound that is only made by males. Soon he slips out of the brush, perhaps walks up our driveway or the canyon slope and begins foraging for food in our garden thickets. We also know he’s on his way when we hear his castanet-like bill clacking.
He seems to like it here, taking advantage of the habitat we have created that provides good cover, natural food and a regular source of water. He had everything he needed, except a mate.
But there is also happiness on Mt. Hoo. It came last spring when our lone male showed up with a new mate and a single chick. Apparently, there was roadrunner romance that sparked a new pairing and resulted in a successful nesting cycle and one fledgling bird. Typically, roadrunners produce three to six eggs, so I’m not sure if there were others that did not survive. Despite keeping a watchful lookout and a camera at the ready, I was able to get a photo of the youngster, but not a roadrunner family portrait.
Now we come to the season of hope. As the roadrunner breeding cycle begins, there is hope that our mated pair will again successfully breed, nest and hatch a new batch of youngsters.
After all, the coyotes are successfully breeding each spring. We had three new pups last year. If Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner are to keep up their mischievous antics, they must maintain a healthy population balance.
How do animals shelter from storms?
Readers often ask interesting questions, and an email last week from Jon Schrag of Carmel Mountain was one of those. Jon wrote on behalf of his son, Andy.
“Andy woke up this morning and reported that he listened to a windy, cold and very rainy and wet storm last night and wondered where do the birds and wild animals go during a serious storm?”
The timing of his question was perfect. As I sat down to reply, it was pouring rain, but just outside there was a towhee and a white-crowned sparrow feeding on the wild birdseed in my garden. They were oblivious to the rain.
I have also seen coyotes many times on my game cameras during rainstorms.
Nature has done a pretty good job in protecting these wild creatures from rain and cold. Feathers are dense and provide a natural coat that sheds rain extremely well. They also trap air that creates an effective insulating layer to keep them warm and dry.
If storms become more intense, birds will seek shelter in the protective cover of trees or shrubs, and they can restrict activity to preserve energy until they can safely return to feeding.
Likewise, the furry critters are protected by their thick, insulating coats, but they will retreat to underground burrows, rock shelters or natural holes in trees or logs if things get really wet or cold.