Our Resident Pheasant Comes to Lunch

As I wrote before, Ron has put a piece of plywood on top of the children's picnic table we have on the patio, and clears enough snow from it to put plenty of birdseed for the tiny birds (sparrows, chickadees, and finches) that winter over in the evergreen trees that ring half of our lots. Occasionally the greedy doves come and scare them away, but yesterday we looked out to see that our resident pheasant, who lives with his harem under the evergreens had flown up to the table to partake, too. He does seem to have a voracious appetite. Pickings on the ground have to be scarce with the abundance of snow all around. He was not disturbed by our movements within the house as the little birds are. He appears more in silhouette than in actual color. Photographing him against the white snow (and through the patio door) screens out the beautiful browns and the iridescent green gloss of his head.

Be sure to click on the pictures so that you can see part of the colors.