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Bird Photos: Rarities: Greater Roadrunner in Alviso
This roadrunner was first seen at the San Francisco
Bay Bird Observatory offices in Alviso, Santa Clara County, CA,
on 9/7/04 by Janet Hanson. This location, on the Santa Clara Valley
floor and near next to the edge of the Bay, is quite exceptional.
The nearest recent sightings are from Alum Rock Park to the east
in the Diablo Range foothills, and the Santa Teresa Hills to the
south. Bill Bousman noted a report of one seen in Alviso from
June 1983. There are many ways, imaginable and unimaginable, that
birds can get to any location. But considering the freeways and
development between their current known range and this location
in Alviso, it is difficult to figure out how this bird got here.
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I photographed this bird
on 9/11/04. I had arrived with two birding friends. Our
car probably flushed it from its sunning perch in clear
view on a eucalyptus tree in the Alviso Marina parking lot.
It hid in vegetation along the edge of the parking lot that
was not unlike a desert habitat. Eventually, it emerged
from its temporary hiding place to seek out more time in
the sun.
At the time this image was taken, the bird
had moved to within five feet of Tom Grey, who was also
snapping pictures. The bird was doing some bill clapping,
possibly as a warning to us. You can see hints of the green
to purple iridescence in its tail feathers. |
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This roadrunner didn't seem
to be too bothered by birders wanting to look at it this
morning. It would frequently assume its solar-warming position
by putting its back to the sun, raising its mantle feathers,
and lowering its wings. This posture gave it a scruffy appearance.
Its crest is raised in apparent wariness.
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Roadrunners can often look
like goofballs. Here again, it's warming itself with its
wings drooping and it's feathers fluffed up. This puffed
up appearance, it's "knock-kneed" stance, the
pale eyes, and light mark behind the eye makes it look cartoon-like.
"Knock-kneed" is not accurate,
of course, as the parts of its legs that are held together
in this image are the ankles (tibio-tarsal joint, to be
a geek about it).
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In this enlargement of a not-very-sharp
image, the colorful skin behind the eye is visible. It has
areas of blue, white, and vermilion. Wyman Meinzer, in his
book, The Roadrunner, 1993, Texas Tech University
Press, says that the sexes are alike in appearance (monomorphic).
Peter Pyle, in his book, Identification Guide to North
American Birds, 1997, Slate Creek Press, says that
both sexes are the same, plumage-wise. But the orbital apterium,
the area directly behind the eye but not including the vermilion-colored
parts, can be used to determine the sex of adult birds.
The apterium in adult females is bluish-white, and in adult
males, white. Young birds have blue apteria. Pyle makes
no mention of the vermilion part.
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Meinzer notes that this colorful
area behind the eye is iridescent skin. I'm not sure that
"iridescence" is the correct term for this coloration.
This shot, also of sub-par quality, seems to show that a
bit of the vermilion color on the left side of the head
in sunlight appears to be a feather! Too bad the image wasn't
more in focus.
The apterium appears to be quite bluish in
this shot, which, if accurate, implies that this is a juvenile
or hatch-year female, or hatch-year male. I cannot see the
necessary feathers in any of my other shots to be able to
tell if this is a juvenile, hatch-year, or adult bird by
plumage.
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One more shot, for the road...
runner.
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IMAGE WITHOUT ACQUIRING
PERMISSION TO DO SO. You may create links to these pages.
All images on this page are copyrighted by Les Chibana.
If you'd like to contact me about images on these pages,
grab the pigeon on the left and send a note. |
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