We decide to take a quick trip up the ever-scenic road to Oatman. The only new pictures to share would be those of a couple of roadrunners and some wild burros. We haven't seen roadrunners in quite a long time. They're pretty shy dudes, and when you do see them they are always, well, on the run!A member of the New World ground cuckoos, he has a crest of feathers (when he chooses to show them off) on the top of his head.
This is one of the Greater Roadrunners. (There's also a Lesser Roadrunner) It can outrace a human reaching speeds up to 20 mph. (When I was a lil' girl visiting grandparents in the Texas Panhandle, I tried to catch one. Not a chance!)
They aren't small birds, either. From the tip of its beak to the tip of its tail, adult roadrunners will typically be two feet in length. They are fast enough and big enough to kill rattlesnakes, which is good, because they thrive in harsh landscapes where rattlesnakes like to slither around.
They are elusive, but thriving - even extending their habitat as far as Louisiana and Missouri. If you've never seen a roadrunner you will instantly recognize it when it streaks along the roadside holding its body parallel to the ground and using its long tail like a rudder. They're fun to watch!
They can become accustom to having humans in their environment, but I doubt you'd ever catch one.
It's strange to see burros / donkeys walking around wild. Down in the valley where it is relatively warmer they seem pretty happy. But up at the top closer to Oatman, they look like they're cold as cucumbers! Must be the snow ...
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