Secret life of the pheasant!

Well....as Victor Meldrew says...."I don't believe it!"

My hen pheasant left her nest to sneak round to my bird feeder and feast on the crumbs and seeds dropped beneath it.

Minutes later another female pheasant came into my garden and enticed her away into the field where they spent a few minutes grazing.
My pheasant seemed reluctant too go far away from the hedge.
BUT - a cock pheasant made his way across the field and the second female walked away.

The cock pheasant put himself between the my hen pheasant and the hedge.
Then (and this is where Annie says I was being a bit voyeuristic!) he jumped on the hen, pinning her to the ground and pecking her head. Of course they were mating and, never having witnessed it before, I had no idea how violent pheasants could be!

Within minutes it was over and my hen pheasant flew back over the hedge and returned to her nest, aparently none the worse for wear.
I think the eggs had been left for about half an hour in total. It has been so very cold and wet I really doubt that any will hatch but, if they do, it should be today or tomorrow. Fingers crossed!!!

x Jo

Chick day minus 2?

Presumably my hen pheasant knows she won't have much time to feed herself once the chicks hatch.
So, yesterday I spotted her under my bird feeder pecking up all the stray sunflower seeds and scraps.

Then she tucked herself back on the nest behind the Mahonia bush.
I think she would have struggled to keep dry overnight as we had torrential rain.

 Maybe that's why one of her eggs had stuck to her breast feathers!

She was carrying it round when she popped out to feed today.

She knew it was there as she kept shaking her feathers and even tried to preen herself.
Luckily it was still stuck securely to her feathers when she snuggled back on her nest five minutes later.

We think they just have a couple more days before they hatch - IF they hatch!

Watch this space....

x Jo

Friday Smile - sunshine and colour!

 

Today I will let the colours of the last few sunny days bring a bit of colour to my blog for our Friday smile.....

A few double daffs from Sainsburys - so bright and cheery.

Vibrant orangey red Chaenomeles

                    

 Bright orangey yellow Berberis

Bridal veil - some sort of Spirea I think.

  My Scimia has a mass of creamy white frothy blossom that has a lovely perfume when the sunshines on it.

A delicate creamy pink tulip

My own hen pheasant still keeping her eggs cosy beside my Mahonia bush.

If you want more Friday smiles then pop over to Annie's blog - A Stitch In Time.
I think she has been out in the Spring sunshine too!!

x Jo

Friday smile - pheasant anyone?

My hen pheasant has started to incubate her clutch of at least a dozen eggs.

According to my internet research I should have tiny pheasant chicks
 running round my front garden 23 days after she started sitting.

Watch this space!!