Saturday 30 January 2010

A Bit More of the White Stuff and a Resident Pheasant

For once the weather forecasters got things correct. We did get one session of prolonged snow. It didn't stop the bird visitors from eating. In fact they became even more frantic to stock up.

Tree Sparrows and a Chaffinch
Tree Sparrows

The usual Starlings and House Sparrows
Snowing Again

Most unusual, in my garden, to see two male Blackbirds so close to each other.
Friendly for a Change

Just as the light was beginning to fade I noticed that the pheasant was sitting in a tree at the bottom of the garden. Even when Bobby went for a stroll round it stayed there with just its head following Bobby's every move.
Pheasant in a Tree

For the moment it seems to have adopted my garden for there it was at daybreak ignoring the squabbling Blackbirds on the snow covered lawn.
Pheasant

 It even strolled over to the ground feeder and helped itself to a free breakfast.

11 comments:

  1. Good morning John, just coming back to comment on yesterdays video of the pheasant and here I find more! Great footage and photos :-D

    We have twice seen a pheasant wander by here… it must have lost its way. Mind you, it clearly had no awareness of its surroundings managing to walk by within a few feet of food on the ground! Strange to see here :-D

    Love the tree sparrow photos too. Yep, we woke to a dusting of snow yesterday. I went out to take some garden video and the snow came on again during my filming. Brrr… my fingers were frozen by the end. Very little sign of it today but it could come back I guess.

    Heading out to fav nature reserve this morning so expect will see pheasant there and en route. It’s a lovely morning here just now. Wishing you a great weekend. Enjoy your birdcount too :-D

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  2. Great to see the Pheasant in the garden John; my favourite bird. I used to get a regular in mine, when I lived in the country. He loved peanuts lol

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  3. Thank you Shirl. It is the fattest pheasant I have ever seen. They usually look quite sleek. Maybe its feathers are fluffed out in the below zero temperature.

    I know what you mean about frozen fingers. Mine were almost numb filming the Robin the other day.

    Had to badger the printer to work properly to print out the RSPB count sheet which I find very useful for quickly recording the common visitors.

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  4. Hello Keith. It is nice to see something different in the garden. I often see one over the lane in the old orchard but it seems to have found easier pickings now ;) I must scatter some peanuts around.

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  5. Hello John, no snow here thank goodness but a very cold, biting wind.

    It certainly seems like you have a lodger in the garden at the moment! The plumage is beautiful. I notice the other birds don't seem very bothered by it.

    Great to be able to record Tree Sparrows on your count! I managed both male and female Blackcaps, just wish I could have got photos!

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  6. Blue skies here today John but still pretty cold. Just a thought but the Blackbirds might be foreigners. Only ever had one sighting of a Pheasant here who perched for about 2 minutes before continuing its journey somewhere!

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  7. Lovely set of images John. I never get to see a Tree Sparrow.

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  8. Hello Jan. Now more snow, thank goodness, though there is a thin frozen layer of it left where the Sun couldn't reach.

    The Pheasant seems to exist peacefully alongside all the smaller birds. I was lucky, one Tree Sparrow turned up right near the end of my counting session. I have yet to see a Blackcap.

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  10. Thank you Roy. The Tree Sparrows are fairly new visitors to my garden. I hope their numbers increase if we get a decent breeding season.

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  11. Hello Frank. Yes a good deal of Sunshine here yesterday followed by a cold, clear night.

    I am pretty sure many of the Blackbirds here are interlopers. They just hang around all day and don't seem to have a territory they are defending.

    The only view I usually get of Pheasants is when they break cover on our walks and fly off cursing. This one is obviously attracted by a free meal.

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Thank you for visiting. Hope you enjoyed the pictures. Any comment, or correction to any information or identification I get wrong, is most welcome. John

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