Neighborhood Ambassador

By

Gerry Niskern

He races up the middle of the street around six o’clock every evening. Moving like a rocket with his long bill, long legs and long tail feathers sailing behind, he is a sight to behold.

Since Roadrunners are monogamous I always figure he is late for dinner or his nest sitting shift. Our roadrunner is extra large, with black and brown feathers, tinged with white. The skin behind his eyes have a touch of cobalt blue. He has lived with his partner in our neighborhood the entire four years that I have been here.

The most famous of all the birds in the Sonoran Desert, the roadrunner can run up to fifthteen miles an hour and sometime a little more when catching  their prey. They are not seed eaters and they do not hang around bird feeders. Rodents, reptiles, small mammals and insects are the preferred diet. They also catch spiders, scorpions and even rattlesnakes.  After running down their victims they slam it against a rock to kill it.

Our guy reminds me of another roadrunner neighbor we had at another house in the North Phoenix Mountains. Actually, the piercing look he gave us that first day said, “ You can move in, but this is really my property!” He proved it often. I remember when a flock of black birds settled in the yard once. He hunched down low to the ground and shot across the ground like a missile and knocked one of the intruders end over end. Another bird met the same fate. Needless to say, the flock decided it wasn’t much fun at this guy’s house!

Our bird is a reassuring reminder that “ all is well” on Foothill Drive every evening as he speeds by and jumps the low wall at Joe’s house. He disappears around back for the night.

The next morning he will  be back down the street sitting on a wall  in the sun somewhere ruffling  his feathers to warm up.  Lucky is the neighborhood that has a resident Roadrunner. If you spot him, just sit back and enjoy!