A Pheasant Visit

Though at the moment we are experiencing a noisy North Westerly gale with fast scudding black clouds and spray from the Sound of Mull, it is not deterring our regular visitors. I am not referring to the human kind, welcome as they are, but to the tame pheasants that have learnt over the past few months that we and indeed our near neighbours are a soft touch for a snack. The visits started just after we moved in when we were regally inspected by a large resplendent male. He, soon named Amos, was satisfied that we were safe and more at home with a camera than a gun and unlikely to have designs on him for the pot. Moreover, to encourage us he gracefully accepted the offering of a grain or six. After a few days, his lady, Jemima, deigned to visit though not at the same time and also accepted our tribute. One of the joiners who worked on the house happened to call in during a pheasant visit and explained that they were quite used to the site as they had watched the house being built and were unfazed by machines operating or men working. In fact we noticed that they arrived as soon as they heard us outside. He also said that they were escapees from a local estate. Word got round the pheasant community that we were a useful stop over on their ambulation round the perimeter of the estate. This suited us as we now have daily visits by differing birds who call by and are well behaved enough to leave after a few grains of food and shoo'ed onward. Not all are characters and get names, but some are distinctive, hence Ringo is a regular caller and one of the more cheeky. He will pretend to be an oversized Robin and fly up on to the bird table if allowed. If he arrives before we are out doors he will march up and down outside, look in the windows and on wet days wait in the dry of the car port by the house door. Our Pheasant visits are entertaining!