Kia hora te manno
Kia whakapapa paumamu te moana
Kia tere te Karohirohi

May the calm be widespread
May the sea glisten like the greenstone
And may the glimmer of summer dance across your pathways

Thursday, January 28, 2010

A handsome visitor to our garden

Every year about this time, Chinese Ring neck pheasants are released into the pasture way down in front of our home, for the hunters. A few of these birds finally find their way up the hill, through another property, and into the shelter of our acreage. I always hope that the birds will stick around for a while to escape the hunters, but eventually they all go away.

This handsome fellow has discovered all the seed on the ground under the bird feeding station and has been hanging around for a week or so. Perhaps knowing he has an easy meal waiting for him every morning, he will stay for a while.

I was standing inside looking out of the window at him under the feeder for quite a while before he looked up and saw me.


Then away he went, a very nervous fellow indeed, and who can blame him, when there are hunters out there wanting to shoot him and have him for their dinner.

8 comments:

D said...

Jennifer, what beauty! and to think he came to you so you could capture this photo. ;)

Catherine@AGardenerinProgress said...

What a pretty bird! I hope he escapes the hunters. I recently saw a pheasant around here, it seemed so strange, it was just wandering up the street.

Darla said...

He should be a little nervous. What a beautiful bird!

Rusty in Miami said...

Your garden is like sanctuary with free meals, I hope he stays for the entire hunting season

Gail Wilson said...

What beautiful colored feathers! Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful feathered creature. Gail

Pat said...

Pretty bird.
No, no, not for dinner !!

Randy Emmitt said...

Jennifer,
Nice photos! Shame he is just a sport for hunters, never makes any since ther want to hunt something that does not belong here.

Carrie said...

How did you do it! We have a resident pheasant on our lotties (there is a large domain across the road called Dobb's Castle) but I can't for the life of me get a single good photo of him - boy can he run!!