April 8, 2009 - Sarah is Back

Barb’s Roadrunner, Sarah, is back again this year and built another nest in Barb's green house. This is the third year that the roadrunners have done this. The first year she hatched three little ones - two males and one female. The second year it was one male and one female.

Barb had the AZ Game and Fish Department come by and he said that this is a first for them. He said that not many people have ever seen a baby roadrunner as well as seeing the nest. He said that we should get pictures again this year and submit them to the Arizona Game and Fish for putting in the game and fish magazine. I set up my hunting scope and hope to get pictures as the nesting progresses. I will send pictures as this happens.

Remember that this is a rare thing that you will be witnessing.

April 19, 2009 - Dad Catches Dinner

This is an update on Barb's roadrunner "Sarah". Barb was worried that she wasn't getting anything to eat as Barb had not seen her leave the nest for several days and had not seen the male around that usually comes in and sits on the nest and lets "Sarah" go out for a snack.

I was going out the back door yesterday morning to feed the birds as usual when I ran into the male coming around the corner of the green house with a lizard hanging from his beak. He stood there looking at me so I backed up slowly and went into get my camera.

Barb had been watching through the scope and said that he jumped up and gave Sarah the lizard. When I got my camera, these are the two pictures that I got. The lizard was still alive and kicking. Sarah held on to it until it quit kicking then swallowed it all down at one time without batting an eyeball.

The eggs should start hatching at any time so that should be my next update.

April 24, 2009 - The First to Hatch

Here is the latest update on "Sarah" the roadrunner and so far her two babies. She has been getting them large grasshoppers for their snacks. She goes out three times a day and makes four runs each time.

There were five eggs in the nest but so far, only two babies. Look close in one of the pictures and you can see the grasshopper about to be put in the chick's mouth. I have moved the telescope in another position but it is hard to get good pictures shooting through two sets of double pain windows.

April 25, 2009 - Mom Knows Best

This picture is one that I couldn't believe if I had not seen it happen. The mamma "Sarah" was trying to get one of the chicks to eat the grasshopper and the little devil kept spitting it out. I just happened to snap the shutter button when "Sarah" jammed the grasshopper down the chick's throat. Note how far "Saraha's" beak is down the babies throat...

April 27, 2009 - Lunch Lizard

Yesterday we discovered a new addition. Yep! we have a new baby in the nest. Today was quite a day for getting pictures of the roadrunners.

Barb and I were painting our wrought iron patio furniture on the back side of the yard and noticed that both the male and female kept coming by us with either grass hoppers, lizards and a baby king snake. I ended up running back and forth and took 177 pictures. You won't believe how much the little devils have grown. I am sending these three pictures from yesterday of one of the babies having a lizard for lunch.

If I get time I will go through the 177 pictures and send you some that are hard to believe.

April 27, 2009 - Fit for a King

Here is the big one. I'm quite sure that not many people - if any - have seen what you are going to see.

Barb yelled at me and said that she saw "Sarah" the mamma roadrunner running buy with what she thought was a snake hanging from it's beak. I went running just in time to get her picture up on the door of the greenhouse. She jumped up on the nest with the snake dangling from her beak.

One of the babies grabbed the tail and started swallowing it. The mamma dropped the snake and after about a minute or so she bent down and grabbed the snake and started pulling it from the baby. The tug of war was on.

Barb and I stood there watching and both of us were cracking up watching "Sarah" pulling the snake out of the babies mouth and insides.

"Sarah" had started swallowing the other end of the snake and after a bit got it away from the baby and swallowed down the whole snake. There must have been a reason for her doing this. We think that the new baby had bit off more than it could handle.

Anyway the little one jumped up and started jumping around the nest and I think he or she was really pissed. In one of the pictures you can see what the baby had swallowed and all that was left from out of his mouth.

After all of this happened the Daddy roadrunner brought in a big lizard and that will be in the next session that I will send.

PSD: The snake was a baby KING SNAKE.

April 28, 2009 - Thanks Mom

Today was a slow day for "Sarah" feeding the babies. She fed them this morning giving them one lizard each. She left the nest about 2 pm and didn't return until about dark. The little devils should have been stuffed after yesterdays feed as both the male and "Sarah" kept bringing them food all day long.

This morning I did catch her bringing in a big lizard and making one of the babies eat it. If you look very close you will note her putting the lizard in the baby’s mouth. The baby kept trying to swallow it for about five minutes. You can see the tail sticking out of the babies mouth. After about five minutes the mama "Sarah" pushed it all the way down. It looked like the baby then said, "Thanks, Mom." In the last picture see how much the one baby has grown. That’s it for now--

April 30, 2009 - All the Babies

Today I just got a few pictures of the babies. These pictures will show you how much the little devils have grown. The third and last baby is still small and is in several of the pictures mainly its little beak. The last picture shows you where I am shooting the pictures from and all of the things that I have to shoot through. I will let this ride for several days unless something exciting happens.

May 1, 2009 - Dad Feeds the Kids

Today I caught the male bringing in a big lizard giving it to the biggest and oldest chick. It took the little devil about 10 minutes to get it all swallowed. Look close in one of the pictures and you can see the lizards toes at the side of the chicks mouth. I know that this looks cruel but this is nature at its best. Thats it until the next set....

May 4, 2009 - Barb goes, "Cluck, cluck"

Today was a first for Barb and "Sarah" the Roadrunner. "Sarah" was crossing the back patio on her way for a food run when Barb was on her way out to the patio. Barb stopped and started doing the cluck cluck sound and the roadrunner jumped up on a stump that Barb sets plants on. Barb ran to the frige and got some fresh hamburger meat and carefully threw a bit at a time out on the patio. "Sarah" didn't run but jumped down and walked around and around the hamburger and then started eating it. For the last three years, I bet that Barb has wasted more hot dog and meat trying to get them to eat and they always just ran away. I told Barb that this was not a good thing to do as the birds will get to be pets. She said "Thats o.k. they kill rattle snakes". Thats probably why we have not seen any around here this year. "Sarah" has already fed the babies one baby king and two baby rattlesnakes.

May 6, 2009 - It's Getting to be That Time

Hi Everyone:Our roadrunner shows are about over. This has all happened in the last two days. The two big and oldest have been jumping and running all over the top shelf. You can see how big they are now.

May 7, 2009 - And Then There was One

Hi Everybody: The male roadrunner took the two oldest out during the night. We think they were both males. The one left is a female. The male came in this evening bringing a lizard. We would like to know where he has the two males hid out. These pictures are of the last baby and the way she is growing she will probably be gone in another week.The last picture was taken late in the evening the sun light was just about gone.

May 8, 2009 - The End That's Really the Beginning

Hi Everybody: We are getting down to the wire on the last little baby. This one is a male (I thought that he was a female) notice the colors on his head. I broke down and got a little better camera and as you can see I am not shooting through my hunting scope but with the camera zoom lens. I wish that I would have had this at the beginning of the hatch....

Hope you enjoyed this series ttttaaaassss all Folks.