Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Close Encounter


Yesterday, I experienced a close encounter with a roadrunner.  I was having an iced tea in the outdoor cafe at the Desert Botanical Garden and watching the hundreds of quail that hang out in the area when suddenly this fellow came into the picture.  He must have noticed that the quail were having good luck enticing the lunch crowd to toss out some crumbs and he thought he'd see what he could get.


He stayed around long enough for me to get about 30 photos of him.  About 15 of those photos turned out pretty darn good!  I talked to a lady from Boston who arrived in time for this fellow to walk up just a few feet from her and stand there long enough for her to take some photos.  We both agreed that it's  great to be in the right place at the right time and have your camera ready.

13 comments:

brattcat said...

beep, beep. how amazing to see one of these guys holding still.

Dave-CostaRicaDailyPhoto.com said...

This is amazing. Roadrunners are elusive and not often and easily spotted. I saw one on our patio in our back yard once. Just once.

Unknown said...

WOW! Fabulous! I have never seen such a fantastic close up the coyote's "friend"! :-)

Thérèse said...

Lucky you! Fabulous! Not such a pretty "cuckoo" over here...
p.s. to answer your question: yes the guy was standing in the middle of the street. He just ran to the sidewalk when the light turned green for us...

Birdman said...

Ya! That brattcat beat me to it... beep, beep!

Judy said...

Great close ups! These Roadrunners are so fun to watch.

PerthDailyPhoto said...

So that's what a roadrunner looks like up close and personal..amazing markings and very stylish 'do'! Well done Sharon, excellent shots.

Karl said...

WOW, great portrait of this roadrunner. I've never seen one, except in cartoons ;-)

RedPat said...

SUPER pics, Sharon! You were so lucky to see this guy and get such fabulous pics.

Gunn said...

One to remember!:)

Jack said...

These are really good, Sharon. He posed so well for you. AND, you were ready and had steady hands.

Mary Helen-Art Saves Lives said...

wow I tried to get a photo of these guys...but ...they are too fast for my camera... Thanks Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart

Kathy said...

This first photo certainly shows off his feather patterns and the beautiful colors. You certainly were in the right place -- beep, beep!