Sunday 28 June 2015

Successful breeding feral Pheasants

Three female pheasants were seen sitting on eggs in May in three locations on my place on the outskirts of Aberaeron. One in a hedgerow, one in a hayfield and one under brambles near the riverbank.They gradually all disappeared - as did the proud male - either taken by foxes/badgers, possibly cats, or they simply abandoned their nests. But on 16 June I disturbed a female and seven large, although not fully grown, young pheasants which took fright and ran - and then flew to another part of the field.
Clearly I must have missed that particular sitting female - which is, I assume, one of the escapes from Mynachty Mansion near Pennant.
This is the second time that a pheasant brood has been successful here - I mention this for the record.
Ian Harrison

A familiar bird to us all, yet one which rarely gets a mention on the blog; or on any blog, I suspect.
Birds of Ceredigion states "Wild-breeders generally seem to have poor success"