Friday 18 June 2010

Pheasant Snoozing

It's just gone 11 a.m. today, Friday 18th June 2010. Looking out of the sitting room window I can spot a long feather pointing upwards under the old Ash tree. I investigate: it's one of those dozy pheasants, having a sleep on the pile of grass cuttings I pile up after mowing. These birds, though quite handsome, are so stupid. We slaughter many of them as they decide to run across the road just as cars are speeding towards them. Sometimes they seem to wait for a car or lorry to come charging down the narrow country lane and then they play 'chicken'. Many of them never make it to the other side of the road, unfortunately. Anyway, these birds are always foraging around our gardens. Sometimes they'll take a fancy to some of the plants that may be growing, or they'll just scratch around for seeds and stuff. I took this video to show just a sample of Ferdy the Pheasant having a nap on a pile of grass clippings. Exciting, innit!


11 comments:

Tess Kincaid said...

Good thing the only thing you had in your hand was a camera, Phil! The mention of Sunday dinner certainly got their attention. Fun to see the lovelies just calmly walking around. I don' t think I've ever seen one at the manor.

Monkey Man said...

Pheasant hunting is big in my part of the world. Not to gamey.

Vera said...

Ah, sweet video. Even the bit where you said you might have it for Sunday lunch!

PhilipH said...

Willow: you're welcome to as many as you like from the Scottish Borders! They might be a lot safer in the manor grounds!

MM: There is the occasional shoot organised by Lord H, but most of the shotguns go after the tree rats, or grey squirrels as they are properly called.

Hi Vera: How's the French farm going of late? Always seems quite a lot of renovations going on when I have a look. Thanks for your visit.

Land of shimp said...

Hehe, I do love how you converse with animals, Philip. It's a trait we share.

For us it's the Doves. How in the world did those creatures come to be associated Peace? They are the dimmest of the dim watt bulb clan. Pretty though.

The thought of Pheasants hurling themselves at passing cars is grimly amusing. It reminded me of something Paul McCartney said, about why he became a vegetarian. He was fishing and said that it occurred to him that the fish's life meant as much to it, as his did to him.

I rather doubted that and I've never even met a Pheasant.

The Bug said...

The birds in our part of the world seem to be in the kamikaze business - they keep dive bombing our car. Most of the time they swoop up just in time, but we've hit a couple this summer. Dumb!

I enjoyed the pheasant watching - thanks for sharing the video!

Argent said...

This must be where the phrase 'bird-brain' comes from. A friend of mine has chickens and they are the silliest of creatures. A carrier bag blew into their garden one day and they went mad, thinking it was some kind of attacking creature. Nice video though of a very handsome creature.

Stella Jones said...

Ah they're so cute. I can't imagine killing one of them. I have eaten pheasant and it is delicious but you don't get much meat really and it is a life, taken, even if it is a small life! Love the video. You have a wonderful view from your sitting room window, don't you.
Blessings, Star

PhilipH said...

Thank you, Alane,Dana,Stella and Silver for you most welcome and appropriate comments.

I think one of these cock pheasants has claimed squatters' rights to this mound of clippings. I wonder how much I should charge him?

Shrinky said...

It's truly a delight to stop by your site, Phil, I simply adore your videos. We have a family of pheasants living in our garden, and yes, aren't they most beautifully dumb birds on the planet? They saunter along the drive without a care in the world, even beeping them doesn't move them out of the way - I often have to exist the car to shoo them out of harms way (smile).

Land of shimp said...

Did the pheasant eat you instead, Philip?