Drinking Roadrunner
The roadrunners were the highlight of my last trip to Santa Clara Ranch in south Texas in June. On the last day, they were very cooperative and came to the pond to drink. Up close, they are very beautiful birds.
On the last photo, you can see the reflection of the pond in the water drop. They scoup up the water in their bill and tilt their head back to drink.
Taken with Canon 1DX and Canon 500mm F4 IS II mounted on tripod with Wimberley II gimbal head in a photo blind
Aperture priority, 1/2000 sec @ F9, ISO 3200, evaluative metering, 500mm
Aperture priority, 1/2500 sec @ F9, ISO 3200, evaluative metering, 500mm
Aperture priority, 1/1600 sec @ F9, ISO 800, evaluative metering, 500mm
Roadrunner Stare-Down
He must have been wondering where the machine gun fire was coming from nearby.
Taken with Canon 1DX and Canon 500mm F4 IS II with Wimberley II gimbal head on a tripod.
Aperture priority, 1/1250 sec @ F8, ISO 3200, evaluative metering, 500mm
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
Tim Timmis Photography 