Wile E. Gets His Roadrunner - Birding in Palm Springs
On a recent long weekend trip down to Southern CA my intentions were simple: explore the desert landscapes, roam the cacti of Joshua Tree National Park and find a Roadrunner.
The rather long drive down 5 (as well as the obligatory stop at Wild West roadside attraction Bravo Land and a re-routing through the boonies of Northern desert swept LA) had caused the light to fade before I rolled into Palm Springs. I drifted into the resort with the dark obscuring the desert that I presumed surrounded me, and that I hoped was prime Roadrunner habitat. I went to sleep with an excited uncertainty about what the new morning would reveal about the home of our bird, and nodded off fantasizing all the tricks I'd employ to catch one - novelty oversized anvils and mallets.
Awakening the next morning I anxiously peeled back the curtains and glanced out from the 4th floor to a tremendous scene. Rolling hills of desert wash, long protruding palm tree's poking out all over the place and a distinct feeling that the urban sprawl was not natures intent for such an arid place. After making a cup of coffee I went back to continue casually glancing out of the window. This further inspection revealed that the fourth floor also afforded a tremendous view of the parking lot. I took another sip, then a shadow of movement. A large mass sauntered in the scratch land. Trundling along low to the ground with an exceptionally long tail, there it was in all its glory, a Roadrunner! My eyes popped out of my head and I almost spat out that coffee! I necked the remaining beverage, and headed downstairs as fast as I could in hopes of intercepting him.
Hustling towards the side of the parking lot where he was spotted from above there was no sign of the Earth Cuckoo. In its place, a lady sat smoking on a bench and flashed a bemused look at the sight of a 6ft2 bipedal Coyote carrying a telephoto lens and moving with great purpose. Continuing on a little the way the Roadrunner was headed I reached a fence with a raised footpath the other side that defined the neighboring golf course. Patrolling along this gate, another bird like shape scuttled across the ground, though obscured by the foreground shrubbery. Soon, he emerged in the open of the footpath - bringing to reality all my dreams from the night before. I poked my lens through the slats of the fence towards his eye that fortunately was roughly level with mine, given the raised nature of the path he was on. Posing like a fashion model on a runway, flaunting a fashionable number featuring a striped array of cyan tinged blacks, burnt browns and ochre with a slicked back black crest and a generous tail. A real life RoadRunner! Much bigger and more intricately patterned than I had ever imagined. I was ecstatic! He spotted me, gave a cursory tilt of the head and me the quick once over before his curiosity was obviously satisfied and a meep-meep later cruised off down the other side of the bank. Having met one of the main goals of this trip I could've gone home to the Bay right then and been satisfied.
That night I considered staking out the patch of parking lot where the Roadrunner had appeared. A continuous monitoring operation from the vantage point of the room above in case he came back. Whilst my motivation wasn't forthcoming for this level of surveillance, I did keep my eye's mighty peeled the next morning. The bird didn't re-appear. A little disappointed at not catching him again I loaded up the car for the days adventures. Slamming the trunk, I headed back across the parking lot to the hotel for some breakfast before hitting the road. After walking 10ft, something trundled out from between two parked cars to intercept me at right angles. Both parties stopped in their tracks. Sets of avian and human eyes weighing up the other whom had crossed their paths. A standoff. The Roadrunner was back!
Racing to the car to collect my camera gave the Roadrunner an opportunity to continue on with his business across the parking lot, and stop to weigh up actually doing his business (the raising of the long tail was the giveaway). Stage fright thankfully got the better of him and he happily meeped to the dusty side of the parking lot. This time my Roadrunner friend was much more amenable to being photographed, and sat happily allowing me to figure out framing. Seeing the Roadrunner in all it’s glory this close up made me appreciate the enormity of this birds tail, being longer than he was himself. Even a raising of his crest did little to make up the difference. My Roadrunner was so content that I even had time to get deliberately creative - framing his face with a distant blue car in the background for a pop art feel.
Belying his name, my Roadrunner flapped his wings and scooted 6ft off the ground to a nearby stone pillar to continue his relaxed morning. This perch was perfect, with palm-trees, blood red Bougainvilleas and yellow flowers offering beautifully colored backgrounds without needing a brightly colored vehicle in the parking lot! After taking my time with this opportunity, I was finally content with my photo's, and not wanting to bother this poor bird anymore, I headed off for the day.
My remaining time in Palm Springs was spent in hopes the Roadrunner would return and grant me another photoshoot, or that I'd see one roaming the desert cacti in the sand swept valleys of Joshua Tree. Unfortunately for me I had spent my luck - I didn't see one again for the rest of the trip. Oh well, I'm pretty pleased with my first encounter.
