Yes they have returned although they are not nesting. Seems that they are not as fond of the box now. Perhaps the other birds were not good housekeepers. I have seen them on the garden fence and hanging around our fruit trees. I think I am going to trash the old box and build them a new one. I wish I knew as well but I have not seen them again. i am just glad the nice ones are back. Actually roadrunners are very social birds. Once they are used to people they don`t mind you at all. In fact the one that was here ( her name was Pedro since we didn`t know if it was a she or a he till she laid eggs)would come when you called her. And she paid no attention to the two big outside dogs at all. She walked all around them and us. She would come within three feet at feeding time and looked at me as if to say "where is dinner". Everyone who saw her thought it was the oddest thing.
Have you looked up Scrub Jays? They fit much of your description. Wouldn't have thought of them except a neighbor calls them blue birds. They are really pretty in the spring.
Yes, I checked on all birds of North America that are blue. None fit these except bluebirds. The variations were so slight that most would not have even noticed. I only started looking closely after they started dive bombing me. Early this year the regular bluebirds were here as usual but I wondered why they were staying so far away. They never did that. When I saw these birds going in and out of the nesting box I just thought it was them. Then one day I walked out to the fence and they waylaid me. Three of them. As I began to watch them, one stayed on guard at all times while two either brought nesting materials or later insects. I thought there were three but later I saw the 4th bird on the far fence. After hatching two babies one pair left and one pair stayed and fed the little birds. Then they were gone as fast as they came.
Heres a good source for researching http://www.whatbird.com/browse/objs/All ... /2063/Blue lazuli buntings arent usually in ne TX, neither are western. But maybe one of them???
In fact we do have many buntings in our part of Texas. But its not them,,they are too small and a much brighter blue than these.
