Roadrunner on a woodpile at Hogeye, Arkansas, on March 18, 2009

Please click on image to see a broader view of a roadunner on a woodpile at Hogeye on March 18, 2009. Photo credit to Lauren D. Hawkins.

Forty-one years ago today, my daughter Dee was born in Monroe, La., where I was serving as an assistant professor of English at what now is known as University of Louisiana at Monroe. The following year, April 1, 1970, roadrunners had been running through our yard in south Fayetteville and feeding on whatever regularly. On April 1, however, a fat one came through the yard. I got my camera but the only thing unusual was this was a fat roadrunner. Then, another bird came into the opening in the south Fayetteville forest. It was a cock pheasant in all it spring color array. I knew they were not established as wild fowl hereabouts and probably went into pause moment and raised the camera barely for a parting shot. There are bad photos someplace in an old album, of course. But I don't know where. I couldn't explain why a pair of pheasants that obviously had escaped from someone's game farm would across the clearing in my yard on April fools day 1970 unless someone had stretched a string across the yard and urged them to walk across the yard by gently jerking the string.
It seemed to be an April Fools joke, but maybe it was coincidence. One never can know.