ML281686211
Contributor
Date
Location
- Age
- Not specified
- Sex
- Not specified
Observation details
Very surprised to see a roadrunner at the feeders SE of the Crest House. I first watched the bird patrolling the base of the feeder, and then watched as it jumped up to perch on the feeder, seemingly in an attempt to hunt the Mountain Chickadees visiting the feeder. The roadrunner perched on the feeder for a few minutes, to the point where I actually had to shoo it away (birds weren't coming to the feeder while it was around). When a big mixed-flock of rosy-finches came in at around 11:15am, I watched the roadrunner chase them each time they tried to land on the feeder, again, seemingly in attempt to hunt. Eventually the bird sat below the feeder and 'floofed' its back/rump feathers in sun-warming position. Sandia Crest is exceptionally high for a roadrunner (I've previously analyzed the range-wide elevational distribution of the Greater Roadrunner for a physiology and movement project, and I know of only a handful of records exceeding 3,000 m, most of which are in Mexico. This among the highest Greater Roadrunner records in the world. It also seems like this one individual (probably the same bird) bird has been hanging around the Crest House feeders for about a week, and one individual was reported back in September. Interesting to see these high-elevation sightings happening in the fall, as roadrunners are typically found at the higher ends of their elevational range in June–August and appear to retreat slightly in elevation during the fall/winter.
Technical information
- Model
- Canon PowerShot SX50 HS
- ISO
- 160
- Focal length
- 106.6 mm
- Flash
- Flash did not fire
- f-stop
- f/5.6
- Shutter speed
- 1/125 sec
- Dimensions
- 3000 pixels x 2250 pixels
- Original file size
- 7.79 MB