With the lousy weather and onset of exam time I have barely had any time to explore Cork’s greener areas lately, about all I get time for is my usual stroll through the river walk, on through the UCC grounds and back into town for coffee. Usually this walk leads to more robin pictures then I have possible use for (I think I have 67 robin pictures) and very little else. Most days have a couple minutes of wren and dunnock chasing time which more often than not leads me to have pictures of greenery instead of a bird.The dunnock on the left is a perfect example of what usually happens when I go looking for a good dunnock picture.
Today however I had the good fortune to run into a male pheasant who seemed as surprised as I was at the encounter but to my delight did not instantly take flight, instead it froze and observed me for about a minute before walking off. Thankfully I finally managed to get a full body shot of this stunning bird for my collection. Hopefully I will get a chance to find some hen pheasants this Summer!
Pheasants where introduced to Ireland but proved so adaptable that they spread into a variety of habitats. In Cork they can be found in areas of long grass, ditches and near trees. The easiest way to find them is to follow the distinctive call of the male pheasant which can be heard from quite a distance. Pheasants belong to the same family as domestic chickens and Indian peafowl (peacocks).
The rest of the walk was somewhat unremarkable although barn swallows and sand martins can now be seen in increased numbers skimming over the water of the river Lee. Also the chaffinch chicks seem to be venturing out. This one was waiting to be fed by its busy parent. Chaffinches are amongst the most common birds in Ireland but often go unnoticed as they tend to be concealed high up in the trees.
Nice one of the pheasant indeed! I still don't have any pheasant piccies. Must work on that this year :)
ReplyDeleteClever title and phenomenal photos! Your blog is off to an excellent start.
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