Baby Beep-Beep~

We have a community of roadrunners living inside our fences at The Holler.

They have become quite used to us, and shelter in our garages or patio when it rains.

This baby roadrunner showed no fear when I approached, but I didn’t press it by getting too close. I would like to stay his friend!

You can see he still has some baby down on his back.

Cheers to you from The Holler’s fearless baby beep-beep~

Note: For those with enquiring minds regarding the tricky controversy over ‘beep vs meep,’ wiki clarifies that although commonly quoted as “meep meep”,Β the current owner of all trademarks lists “beep, beep” as the roadrunner’s main sound. πŸ˜‰

234 thoughts on “Baby Beep-Beep~

  1. They are such cool birds. I used to spend a lot of time camping in the desert out around Anzo Borrego and loved getting as close as I could. They are bright, inquisitive, and really fun to watch. Thanks for these great photos.

    1. I have spend much of my life in Anza Borrego and the roadrunners are an emblematic part of the experience, so I fully relate to your experiences. They do find us fascinating don’t they! And they love people watching, especially when you’re sleeping! πŸ˜‰

      1. Yeah, the little foxes are great as well. On a hot night, I woke up in the dark with a little fox matter-of-factly sitting three feet from me watching me breathe. Even when he/she knew I was awake and looking back, she just sat, amiable and fearless. We had a great conversation. I’ll never forget it.

        1. Oh yes! Sleeping humans are interesting to wild creatures. It is almost like they are shocked, thinking, “Wow, they are capable of shutting up!”
          Have you seen the Channel Island Foxes?

  2. Beautiful photos, Cindy! I love these birds and see them most every time I take a ride outside the city. Love the old Warner Brothers cartoons! BeepBeep!! πŸ˜‚β€οΈ

  3. Too precious for words, Cindy! That’s what we lose when fires break out. Everything loses. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you as well. I remember Calif fires. My last husband worked for Glendale fire. So I know. I’m glad the RR have you place to shelter. They know you are a good soul.

    1. Awwww….The thought of the loss of more of the west’s precious forests and creatures is heartbreaking. Fire is the worst of the worst. The firefighters are heroes. God Bless them and their families დ

  4. Amazing images, Cindy. We saw the cartoon character roadrunner when we were children, but this is the first time I’ve seen a living roadrunner, so it was interesting to see the actual bird.

  5. What a beautiful bird. I’m always surprised by the intricate patterns of feathers. I hope the fire avoids your area. I know it’s tense now and likely will be until what one hopes are rains in November…

    1. It is so amazing, when it rains we open the side doors to the garages, and they come in wet, fluffed-up and miserable, and ride out the rain inside where it is dry. I have never taken their photos doing this because I don’t want to frighten them. Lovely to hear from you Maiko & stay safe my friend დ

  6. That is so special, Cindy! Lucky you! We don’t have road runners up here on Vancouver Island, and don’t get to see them like you do, so it was a treat for me to see the closeup of the colour of their feathers. I had no idea they had such beautiful green feathers on their back and sides. Having only seen them at a distance when on holiday, or when I’ve seen them on TV, I thought they were a boring little brown bird. But they really are very pretty. Thanks for enlightening me.

  7. Cindy, these are absolutely gorgeous. A Roadrunners is my favorite bird in California, but I never seem to get a good look of them, because they seem so shy. I also had no idea they had bits of olive green in them; these shots expose every little detail, and I am just having a blast looking at these wonderful pictures . Thank you!

  8. I learnt something. Yes, I know, I’m a bit slow πŸ˜€ I did not realise that the famous road runner had that lovely metalic green on its back and the underbelly was a yellow. My image of the TV road runner has now been updated, it will never be the same πŸ˜€ ❀️ πŸ™πŸΌ πŸ¦‹
    Great shots dear lady…er, there’s no ‘coyote’ around with them is there? πŸ˜‚ 🀣

    1. Wile E. and all his numerous friends are indeed her in packs, but I am happy to report I have never seen either Meep-Meep or Wile E. chase each other! Cheers to you Mark დ

  9. They don’t look much like the one Wylie constantly tried to have for dinner, (loved that cartoon). Even as a kid, I wondered why he just didn’t by dinner with the money he spent at ACME, LOL! Their feathers make such a pretty pattern. I need to come back for a prolonged visit. I’m missing all the fun! xK

    1. It is lovely to hear from you and I am happy you stopped by! Wile E. and the Meep-Meep definitely coexist at The Holler but I have never seen one try and catch the other! Cheers to you my friend დ

  10. How wonderful Cindy, I think this is the very first time I’ve seen these beautiful birds for real. And they are gorgeous. Wonderful captures Cindy, and so happy to have found your post the same time I’m browsing my reader this morning.
    Have a beautiful Sunday πŸ’šπŸ™

  11. Nice shots, Cindy. Like many others, I had no idea they had so much color about them. Living in New England, pretty much all I know about roadrunners I learned from Warner Brothers. πŸ™‚

  12. Gorgeous photos, Cindy – how lovely it must be to watch them fledge and grow. Keeping everything crossed that you are not affected by fire this season. xxx

  13. I love the way your pictures capture “Personality” cheeky is a good adj. Waves good morning, stay safe.. my sister has quality control problems with the air, I hope you keep a mask handy..

  14. So reassuring to be reminded that the natural world continues to exist β€” and patiently co-exist with us human beings. Thank you for sharing images of this road runner with the rest of us!

  15. Pingback: Baby Beep-Beep~ β€” (Be sure to look at all the photographs from Cindy–Gigi) | Rethinking Life

  16. Such pretty babies, Cindy — you’re fortunate to have them sheltering at The Holler! And we’re fortunate you’ve been able to capture them so we can enjoy seeing them, too!

    1. Oh yes, I know the sounds they make very well living with them 24/7 for 12 years now. I have tramped all over the hills looking for the lost crying coyote pup only to later learn (from the wonderful Cornell website) it was one of many false cries of the roadrunner leading me away from their young. They have an amazing vocal repertoire, different sounds to distract, to mate, to hunt and just to make noise. Fascinating little dinosaury creatures. Yes, the smoke is appalling. It never gets sunny here. I hear the smoke is affecting the skies in the UK and I have seen Vancouver in the orange haze. These are sad days for all of us who care about our planet and all it’s living creatures as I know you do Rebecca დ

      1. They are sad days indeed. I pray for our earth and for a greater understanding of our responsibility as caretakers. Thank you for your commitment and love for our world and all who grace this beautiful place.

  17. At last I can see a real road runner! Of course I know ‘beep-beep’, thanks to the road runner and coyote cartoons (which I loved). I had no idea how colorful and vibrant the feathers are. Thank you, Cindy!

  18. What wonderful closeups, Cindy! I saw them a few times when I lived in Albuquerque, but haven’t seen any down here. They’re marvelous birds with a ton of personality. How fun to have them right there beside you. Hugs on the wing.

  19. How very exciting to be this close to roadrunners, Cindy–sheltering them, watching the young grow. They’re so elusive usually, so very fast. I enjoyed the photos and had a smile at the “meep v. beep” distinction. Sending smiles to you, and thanks.

  20. Are those feathers on their backs really that deep forest green? Beautiful! It must be lots of fun to have them around! As long as Wiley Coyote doesn’t show up, too!

    1. Oh, Wile E’s are here in multiple packs! The packs wake us up all the time in the pre-dawn so close to our open windows. That’s why beep-beep hangs out inside our fences, but Wile E is quite wiley. I find the coyotes inside our coyote proof fences before dawn fairly regularly. It wakes me up, and I am sure it wakes up all the beep-beeps too! πŸ˜‰

  21. I remember seeing the real-life roadrunner on one of the animal kingdom tv documentaries when I was about ten and was blown away! Up until then, I thought that the roadrunner was only a cartoon- make believe! LOLOL

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