Roadrunner Close-up

During my recent trip to Santa Clara Ranch, our goal was to see bobcats that have been frequenting the ponds lately.  The ponds in front of the blinds are the only water source on the ranch so they attract lots of wildlife, especially during the hot summer months.

It was looking very promising for us with the previous visitors seeing bobcats at multiple blinds.  Our hopes were dashed when it rained on both days.  With water available elsewhere on the ranch, the cats didn’t show up.  Bummer…

However, we did hit the jackpot on roadrunners.  Our guide, Hector Astorga, is an expert at getting roadrunners to come into the blind area.  He was calling one with his voice and it tried to come down the stairs into the blind.

This Greater Roadrunner eventually made his way to the pond and started drinking.  He was too close for full body shots at the pond so I kept my focus on his eye for head shots.  They are beautiful birds that are very colorful and look a little prehistoric, in my opinion.

More photos to follow with direct eye contact and drinking out of the pond.

Taken with Canon 1DX and Canon 500mm F4 IS II mounted on tripod with Wimberley II gimbal head from a sunken blind

Aperture priority, 1/2000 sec @ F9, ISO 3200, evaluative metering, 500mm