Late this afternoon on the way out of the ranch, I spotted what looked like a bird perched on a cedar stump in the shadows of the oak and cedar forest about eight feet off the pasture road. After I got this photo and as I maneuvered for a better angle, the bird flew off on silent wings.
At the moment, I'm thinking it's a Whippoorwill. I've never seen one in the field before, which is possibly unsurprising considering that they are both nocturnal and migratory.
I think it's a whippoorwill, the only other candidate could be a common night hawk. But the night hawks have no warm (yellow) in their plumage and they have a distinctive white throat below their beak. They are both nocturnal and have a low flat head, almost owl-like.
They sure sound different than they look, that's for sure.
> I think it's a whippoorwill, the only other candidate could be a common night hawk. But the night hawks have no warm (yellow) in their plumage and they have a distinctive white throat below their beak. They are both nocturnal and have a low flat head, almost owl-like.
My first thought was that it was a small owl of some sort - particularly after seeing the relatively large wings it had - but the beak is very small. The elongated eyes are apparently a characteristic of the family that whippoorwills belong to.
General Knowledge of the Southwest
Here's another one for extra credit. I noticed this low mound feature in a pasture and stopped to have a better look.
The top of the mound was overgrown in Mexican Persimmons and other small trees and shrubs, so it doesn't show up well in the photo. On the side of the mound, there were these pieces of broken limestone with a reddish color that is like that produced when the ferrous minerals in the local limestone are heated in a fire.
So, what does this feature appear to be?
General Knowledge of the Southwest
Where is the nearest water source ?
Is this near that river that you posted pics on recently with the cypress and live oaks
General Knowledge of the Southwest
> Where is the nearest water source ?
There is a dry branch about 400 ft. away that in earlier times was probably fed by an upstream spring that is now dry. I haven't inspected the branch to see if there was a water hole or tinaja.
> Is this near that river that you posted pics on recently with the cypress and live oaks.
It's a couple of miles away from that river.
Another Greater Roadrunner in a Tree
BTW, here's another Roadrunner photo, this one from today and also in a tree. The bird's method of ascent was as much jumping and running along limbs as it was flying.
Definitely an Eastern Whip-or-will.
They are very difficult to photograph. Good picture!
General Knowledge of the Southwest
Native American ammunition manufacturing plant.
> Definitely an Eastern Whip-or-will.
>
> They are very difficult to photograph. Good picture!
:good: :good: :good:
Easier to cut two miles of line thru multifora rose than get that pic.
Steve
Nightjar or Lesser Nighthawk. Very difficult bird to find much less photograph. Eastern Whippoorwill's look similar but not same.
