Yesterday I was sitting here at my computer when I heard a knocking sound at my back door, which is sliding glass. A roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) was entranced by its own reflection in the glass and was pecking at the image. This may very well be the same bird that I photographed and posted a couple of weeks ago. He’s been back several times a day, mesmerized by the invader on the glass, which now that he knows where to find him he goes to defend his territory against. I find this quite amusing, not least of all because while roadrunner is preoccupied with his narcissism, I am able to approach quite closely and take portraits through the glass. As soon as he sees me he takes off, but that usually takes awhile, especially if I make no sudden movements. It takes all kinds out here in my desert menagerie.

The shallow angle through the glass plus the veneer of dirt on it from the recent rains near ground level reduce the quality of this image somewhat, but it does show some nice details of the blue and red skin patches (found on both sexes) and the thick, heavy bill that is used to subdue prey, sometimes animals as large as snakes 2 to 3 feet long even.

Maybelline Eyelashes.   The bird was busy pecking at its reflected image in the glass here.

Note the unique toe arrangement, with two facing forwards and two facing backwards. The roadrunner had seen me moving by this point and was aware that something huge was behind the glass, but not sure what to do about it yet since that other bird was still there too!   

Running away, the roadrunner was alarmed that I knocked back on the glass, making an unexpected sound. They frequently raise both their tails and head crests when frightened. He disappeared into the desert seconds after I took this last shot.

About two weeks prior I had seen another roadrunner in the back yard, also jabbing at its reflection in the sliding glass door. It is presumably the same bird, although I have to wonder since the blue and red colored skin patches behind the eyes are so much more prevalent on the first bird depicted and much less so on this one I’d seen earlier.

I do not know for sure if it is the same individual of course, as the sexes do look very similar. They are also somewhat territorial and it seems unlikely that two birds that aren’t a breeding pair or the young thereof would tolerate each-other. Perhaps this is the spouse or one of the kids? If juvenile, the eye patches might not be fully developed yet, hence the reduced coloration. No sure way to tell, however.

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Note: These photos were originally posted a year ago on Facebook, in twin posts separated by two weeks, on Sunday August 27, 2017 and Sunday Sept 10, 2017. I saw the roadrunner a couple of more times in Sept 2017, but have not seen it again in 2018 to date.