Image-of-the-Day by Subject

Image-of-the-Day by Subject

Birds - Pheasant & Partridge Page 3

Image Taken on 10 Mar 2023 at 12:56 Image of day on 26 Apr 2023

Similar behaviour at the mound 12 minutes later, though this time about 50-50% Jackdaws and Rooks. The male Pheasant neither intimidates the Corvids, nor vice-versa despite desiring the same food.

Ref: 20230426_bu2_20230310_1256_034_sc7 14 mixed jackdaws & rooks + 1 pheasant male on round mound(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 08 Jan 2020 at 15:35 Image of day on 03 Feb 2020

It's Tea Time!
NOT a montage, though reduced width.

Ref: 20200203_e63_20200108_1535_111_fb1 magpie + grey squirrel + pheasant female (adjusted crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 02 Apr 2018 at 17:15 Image of day on 14 May 2018

"Penny plain, Tuppence coloured"
Wet and blustery weather seems to have brought in several male pheasants to find some cover on our patch. Corvids and Pheasants mostly seem to tolerate each other as here.

Ref: 20180514_e63_20180402_1715_050_fb1 magpie and pheasant male sharing site(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 11 Jun 2018 at 18:02 Image of day on 26 Jul 2018

The Magpie (foreground) photo-bombs what may be a Grey Squirrel vs. male Pheasant moment in the background.

Ref: 20180726_e63_20180611_1802_013_fb1 magpie flying off with beakful of food with grey squirrel and pheasant male behind (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 05 May 2013 at 18:00 Image of day on 18 Jun 2013

2 Days later the male with even more duckweed arrived to grab some of the recently deposited corn.

Ref: 20130618_d5c_20130505_1800_125_fb2 mallard duck male wet with duckweed feeding at log (pheasant male & jackdaw cropped out) (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 28 Apr 2021 at 08:30 Image of day on 03 Jun 2021

One of a pair of Moorhen arrives at the hedge bottom site as this female Pheasant departs.

Ref: 20210603_e63_20210428_0830_208_fb1 moorhen at hedge bottom as pheasant female leaves(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 05 Apr 2023 at 14:43 Image of day on 09 May 2023

Male Pheasant (Goliath) vs. Moorhen (David).
It seems that the Moorhen wins.

Ref: 20230509_bu8_20230405_1443_248+249 moorhen chases away pheasant male (montage)(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 04 May 2013 at 06:12 Image of day on 13 Jun 2013

We have left a Swann 'OutbackCam' trail camera aimed on the potential badger hole in a pond spoil heap and here is a little selection of the weeks sightings.

We think the badger IS exiting the hole - this is the first of a movement triggered set of 3 and we can't see how it could be the first if it hadn't been exiting the hole.
The female muntjac deer is a welcome appearance.
The baby rabbits are endearing but a hint of damage to come.
And then there is the dominant male pheasant and 2 of his 'wives'.

Ref: 20130613_sw2_20130504_0612_079-20130509_0609_410 muntjac deer female + baby rabbits + badger + pheasants on mound (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 06 Jun 2018 at 18:43 Image of day on 20 Jul 2018

Our first sighting of this Peahen (female of Peacock) was a 'what's that' glimpse in the dark of the woodland. But she visited some of our automatic cameras over the next couple of days. Here we get a view of her lovely head and plumes.
Comment for overseas readers - Peacocks are not UK resident species - they need supplementary feeding in the winter at the very least. They are kept as prestige adornments in stately homes and the like, but need feather trimming to stop them flying off!

Ref: 20180720_e63_20180606_1843_179_fb1 peahen (right) and pheasant female head detail (crop 2)(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 06 Jun 2018 at 18:59 Image of day on 20 Jul 2018

So Pheasant females (left) and the Peahen quietly coexist despite the substantial difference in size.

Ref: 20180720_e63_20180606_1859_185_fb1 peahen and pheasant female(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 08 Jun 2018 at 11:13 Image of day on 20 Jul 2018

Next day we spotted the male Pheasant crossing the Farm Road, followed purposefully by the Peahen. Shortly afterwards we heard the Pheasant make his characteristic call. 6 Hours later a trail cam caught him hovering by her as she fed on a mound inside our patch. Surely he doesn't think she is just a jumbo sized female Pheasant?
She has probably then returned to her likely owners a couple of miles away.

Ref: 20180720_df3_20180608_1113_008 peahen following pheasant male over farm road and into crop 1 of 2 (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 27 Nov 2006 at 14:44 Image of day on 03 Dec 2006

A gloomy mid-afternoon is illuminated by the iridescent plumage of this male pheasant. We have 2 male pheasant visitors, one with a strong white neck-ring (see image for 18 Nov 2006), and this one almost none.

Ref: 20061203_d35_20061127_1444_019 fb2 pheasant(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 05 Mar 2008 at 16:13 Image of day on 31 Mar 2008

Does the tail at the left make this 9 or 10 magpies in the old rhyme: 1 for sorrow, 2 for joy, 3 for a girl, 4 for a boy, 5 for silver, 6 for gold, 7 for a story never to be told, 8 for a wish, 9 for a kiss, 10 for a bird you can not miss.

Ref: 20080331_sc1_20080305_1613_012 sc1 female pheasant + 9 magpies + a magpie tail left edge(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image of day on 31 Jan 2006

First time we have photographed the male pheasant for many weeks, and we had a number with him the same morning in the frame but out of focus. He is pecking away at something - the beak is movement blurred even in a flash strobe.

Ref: 20060131_d3c_26722 fb2 pheasant 2006jan26_08-11-20(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 18 Dec 2007 at 15:23 Image of day on 21 Jan 2008

One of our male pheasants demonstrating that even the most beautiful of creatures can have bad table manners.

Ref: 20080121_d3a_20071218_1523_003 fb2 pheasant eating peanut grit(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 15 Dec 2022 at 10:50 Image of day on 09 Jan 2023

Four female Pheasant have suddenly started frequenting the sites. This one is at the Woodland site before snow ...

Ref: 20230109_e64_20221215_1050_035_fb2 pheasant female(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 22 Dec 2018 at 15:11 Image of day on 29 Jan 2019

We are rather fond of the still solitary female Pheasant.
She's not so keen on us though, and flees at a glimpse!

Ref: 20190129_e64_20181222_1511_085_fb2 pheasant female(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 05 Jan 2018 at 15:39 Image of day on 11 Feb 2018

An elegant female Pheasant steps through the sense beam so taking her portrait.

Ref: 20180211_e62_20180105_1539_121_fb5 pheasant female(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 04 Jan 2018 at 16:23 Image of day on 11 Feb 2018

All female Pheasants seem to have an elegance about them.
Apart from differences in plumage colour, we can tell our females apart by the different red colouration around the eyes. This is fairly consistent to the left and right of a particular bird, but very variable between the birds, over the short term anyway.

Ref: 20180211_e63_20180104_1623_040_fb1 pheasant female(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 28 Dec 2017 at 14:33 Image of day on 03 Feb 2018

A dainty female Pheasant looking coyly at the camera.

Ref: 20180203_e63_20171228_1433_045_fb1 pheasant female(r+mb id@768).jpg

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