From Scorpion to Cooing Greater Roadrunners

After driving about 310 miles from Salt Lake City to Zion National Park in southwestern Utah Friday afternoon, and hiking about two miles up into a small canyon to see my first two Spotted Owls, I decided to head back down the trail in the dark in time to catch the last shuttle out of the park. Just before arriving at the bottom of the trail I spotted a rather large scorpion crossing the trail. I trained a light on the beauty and captured the image below. It was easily five and maybe even six inches long and had a black back with a creamy color for its tail and legs. Based on some Internet searching and feedback from one who knows scorpions I believe it is Hadrurus spadix, commonly called the Black-backed Scorpion. The venom is considered low risk. The real danger with many scorpions has to do with whether you are one of the few who may have a severe allergic reaction to their sting.

Black-backed Scorpion in Zion National Park, Near Springdale, UT

After finishing my few minutes with the first Scorpion I'd ever seen in Utah I caught my shuttle out of the park and began a one hour drive to Lytle Ranch, about 30 minutes west of St George and almost on the Utah-Nevada border. I spent the night in the middle of the desert on a couple of foam pads in the bed of my truck. Before going to sleep I took a few minutes to marvel at the awesomeness of the night sky. Stars are so vivid when you look at the night sky from the wild. I was able to call to and get a response from a Western Screech Owl that flew into a Cottonwood Tree next to me. I put a light on it for a few seconds and said good night.

A singing Summer Tanager became my alarm clock about 6 am and I enjoyed about three hours discovering the familiar birds of Lytle Ranch. Seeing my first-ever Wild Turkey babies was fun. The little ones tried to act invisible to me at first by lowering themselves to the ground. They looked toward the parents to see what to do next. When the parents began to flee the little ones joined them.

Wild Turkey Families on Lytle Ranch in Washington County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Wild Turkey Families on Lytle Ranch in Washington County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

On my way out of Lytle Ranch I heard what I thought was the cooing of a dove. I stopped my truck to look toward the sound, but I could not see anything among the brush and Joshua Trees. An moment later I heard cooing coming from the passenger side of the truck. It was almost instantly that I saw the source of the cooing. It was a Greater Roadrunner cooing from a branch of a Joshua Tree. Just when I found that bird's location the first one appeared as it ran across the road in front of me. I assume they were a breeding pair. My understanding is that Roadrunners are monogamous breeders.

Greater Roadrunner on Lytle Ranch Road in Washington County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

My first time ever hearing the cooing of a Roadrunner was just an hour or so earlier while at Lytle Ranch. Now I was not only hearing the coo but I was also seeing the coo. The bird would bow its head as it said, "Cooo, cooo, cooo, cooo, cooo" in a low, descending manner. I watched this happen again and again. The image below shows the bird in its cooing posture and provides a decent look at the bluish skin that is hidden when its crest is lowered. The blue skin in breeding males transitions to a red/orange toward the back of the head.

Greater Roadrunner "Cooing" on Lytle Ranch Road in Washington County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

A few Joshua Tree leaves in the foreground created a bit of a blur in the image below, but I like that a range of colors appears from what often looks like a shaggy drab bird--blue and red skin behind the eye, olive in the wings, and a bit of bronze, black, and white in the tail.

Greater Roadrunner on Lytle Ranch Road in Washington County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

I thought the image below might make a nice silhouette of the iconic bird of the desert, but it actually turned out to show a little more detail than I thought in the field.

Greater Roadrunner on Lytle Ranch Road in Washington County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

After realizing that this particular bird was going to allow me to do a full-fledged photo shoot I tried to move quickly to a better position. I moved too quickly while still holding the camera to my face and took about six Joshua Tree daggers to the chest from the leaves below. These leaves come to a very stiff, sharp point. I checked afterward and counted six poke marks in my chest. Ouch!

Joshua Tree Branch on Lytle Ranch Road in Washington County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Here is a closeup view of the leaves. I thought at the time I might be able to break off one of the branches to beat off any wild animals in the event I was ever stranded in the desert. It seemed like a primal instinct to realize that something that pushed me away could be used to push my own predators away--learn from experience/mistakes.

The Dagger-like Leaves of a Joshua Tree on Lytle Ranch Road in Washington County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

I'm tempted to say I intentionally wanted to show the foot structure of a Roadrunner, but the truth is he jumped out of the frame.

Greater Roadrunner Jumping on Lytle Ranch Road in Washington County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

I'll finish off with a series of images showing the Roadrunner as it posed, preened, and simply observed its surroundings. I had to throw in one preening shot as well that make it look like a headless Roadrunner. I hope you enjoy the images. Thanks for visiting my blog.

Greater Roadrunner on Lytle Ranch Road in Washington County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Greater Roadrunner on Lytle Ranch Road in Washington County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Greater Roadrunner on Lytle Ranch Road in Washington County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Help! Someone? Please!

Greater Roadrunner on Lytle Ranch Road in Washington County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Greater Roadrunner on Lytle Ranch Road in Washington County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Greater Roadrunner on Lytle Ranch Road in Washington County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Greater Roadrunner on Lytle Ranch Road in Washington County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Greater Roadrunner on Lytle Ranch Road in Washington County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Greater Roadrunner on Lytle Ranch Road in Washington County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Greater Roadrunner on Lytle Ranch Road in Washington County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Greater Roadrunner on Lytle Ranch Road in Washington County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)