eBirdseed.com Wild Bird Feeding Blog

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA hasn't escaped the freeze which recently enveloped the nation. Looking around my backyard after some unusually cold nights, I found this picturesque ice on a nearby pine. It's probably picturesque because we don't see it often!

Near the porch, the outer branches of this jade plant, which had been flowering before the freeze, unfortunately did not survive.

I wondered how the birds survive freezing temps. Where do they go to stay warm?

The last few weekends I have escaped to the desert. Folks who live out there year 'round have the roadrunner as a backyard bird! Found in the southwest and south central US, the roadrunner likes desert habitats or dry, open, brushy areas. These guys require open ground for running to capture their preferred prey of lizards and snakes.

THE GREATER ROADRUNNER (Geococcyx californianus) is one of the only animals known to attack rattlesnakes! These unusual birds are sometimes seen running across or near a road (thus their name!), pausing briefly with long tail raised high. In an instant, they disappear into the brush.

This desert roadrunner let me take numerous photos. He seemed unafraid of me or the camera. At one point during the photo session, he started talking to me in characteristic coos.

I've seen roadrunners in my neighborhood, but not in my backyard. Maybe because I don't serve lizards and snakes!

California Kathryn
Fallbrook, CA
http://www.wildernessimpressions.com