Photo 21185248, (c) Andrea Kreuzhage, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Andrea Kreuzhage

Attribution © Andrea Kreuzhage
some rights reserved
Uploaded by andreacala andreacala
Source iNaturalist
Associated observations

Photos / Sounds

What

Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus)

Observer

andreacala

Date

July 11, 2018 12:54 PM PDT

Description

There once was a Western Whiptail Lizard making its home around my house. On early Monday mornings, trash days, I moved the blue bin very carefully to the curb because the lizard spent the nights under it. Sometimes it made its way into my garage. Yesterday it jumped out of an empty flower pot as I walked by. Each time I saw it I grabbed the camera hoping it would allow me to take a picture. No such luck. It was a very, very shy lizard. I was working away on the computer and heard unusual amounts of rustling in the dry leaves under the shrubs in front of my window. I jumped up and looked -- into the eyes of a Greater Roadrunner, holding the Western Whiptail Lizard in its beak. I was thinking, oh no, the poor Lizzie, but admittedly, also feeling a little excited, and happy for the Roadrunner to have found a meal. I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about, these mixed feelings and the heartbreak when nature isn't all cute kitten pix. The Roadrunner took its prey to the street and smashed it onto the asphalt, over and over again. This gave me a moment to find the camera and sneak outside and take a few hectic pictures... (Western Whiptail observation: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/14271438)

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