Cock (Pheasant) Fight!

Today, along a road I was slowly driving; looks like a younger fella (on right) decided to take on a handsome older chap.

That's the older one in the air

The older one on left

And the older fella attacking.

Ring-necked Pheasant  Phasianus colchicus

More Pheasant Photos!

This fine fellow was struttin', crowin' and otherwise trying to impress his lady-pheasant one afternoon last week (in my friends' back yard)

Click on pics for clearer and larger, if you want.

Struttin'

I'm not even going to say much about this finely feathered dude.  (click on pic for bigger and clearer)

He was gorgeous in the morning sunshine.

Definitely struttin'

So A Pheasant Was Walking Down The Road

Yes, another pheasant post...honestly, you would think I'm a little obsessed by these birds...oh, wait, I AM! 

Okay, well then, so this guy was strolling down the road ahead of me.  I thought he would fly off, but he didn't.  I grabbed my Canon point-and-shoot and clicked away through the windshield as I followed him along (at a pheasant's pace).

I'm still behind you.

Finally, he decided he'd had enough of my stalking, so he headed for the ditch, but it was full of water.

He waded in anyway

Crest Colour Variation in Ring-necked Pheasants

Early yesterday morning, I went over to my friends', Barry & Marilyn, place (a block away) to watch the pheasants come in to their backyard to feed. 

This was only a few  of the 70+ that congregated in the bushes and trees where Barry puts out seed.  

Sorry, these photos aren't very good.  The light was poor for pictures as I was taking from inside the house, the sun wasn't very high in the sky and it is a north-facing yard. 

I didn't realize there was such a great variation in the colour of the crests of the males.  Decades of hybridization, I guess.  Some have very prominent and white crests.

Others are more of a slaty-grey  (I know, can't really see that from the photo)

And others are dark (ditto above - plus these birds are very skittish and any movement or tiny flash of light scares them)

And, it was COLD yesterday morning.  The birds were fluffed out and looked like painted basketballs with long-tails

There are about thirty subspecies of Phasianus colchicus and from the looks of things, at least 3 or 4 subspecies were part of past raise and release programs.

All pheasant populations around here these days are wild breeding populations.  We have a lot of them.  Farmers and wildlife friendly people like my friend Barry put out seed to help the birds (and subsequently other animals) get through our harsh, long, deep-snow, winters.  UPDATE:  Barry tells me 1 or 2 people here raise pheasant chicks every year - most are sold en masse to property owners elsewhere to release - hunting, you know. 

Unlike the native grouse, pheasants don't have thick, feathered feet.  They lose heat from their feet and also don't have the 'snowshoe effect' going on.

Info about the Common Pheasant  (Phasianus colchicus)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Pheasant

Ring-necked Pheasants

This is the next installment of stalking the Ring-necked Pheasants (Phasianus colchicus).  As I've mentioned before, I have vowed to get some good photos of this wary, crafty bird this winter.

These were taken just north of Torquay, SK (near Halvorson's old farm).   A couple of Euro Starlings got in the picture as well (at bottom)

I would like some clear photos of their landings, with the tail feathers spread.  Such elegant birds.

This next lot were right along side the road down here in the valley below Estevan. 

A female that decided she was more hungry and interested in feeding than she was afraid of me.

 And a male in flight.

Getting better....but still not good enough



(As always, click on photos to enlarge, if you want to)

Icy and Beautiful

At Boundary Dam campground yesterday