Chirpy,Chirpy, cheep, cheep

This is one of the male pheasants visiting the garden this morning. We have nt seen the female for a while so hope she is on eggs or with her chicks.
The pheasant is a non native bird introduced by the Normans in the 11th century as a game bird. The male is easy to identify because of its colourful plumage. It has little tufts looking like ears on it's head and long tail feathers that it loses in the summer. It is protected by the games act with shooting only allowed between the months of September and February. Pheasants are bred for the gaming season in fact over 20 million are bred throughout Britain. Quite a profit can be made as it costs about £10 to raise one and £30 paid to shoot one. They are pretty tasty especially in a casserole or game pie. They are apparently a nightmare to pluck as they have no grease. There is a song about being a Pheasant Plucker but you have to be careful not to say it too fast !
We are often woken by it's cor,cor,cor cry when it is alarmed by something in the field. It seldom flies usually to avoid danger, not a good idea when there's someone with a shotgun in their hand ready to shoot. It can run pretty fast and looks quite comical.
Weather was good today and I managed to oil the wooden pots and paint the outside furniture :)