The Travels of Tug 44 |
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Ring-Necked Pheasant |
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Ring-Necked Pheasants are of extreme interest for hunters, so the State of New York pays farmers to raise them for release into the wild. This is paid for by hunting license fees, and NY releases about 30,000 Pheasants each year. This one is a male, the females are mostly dull brown. high-res
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Ring-Necked Pheasants eat mostly grain, seeds and bugs. When you see one run forward about 3 feet and then stop, another bug has been caught. Pheasants don't fly much, they prefer to run from people and predators, which they can do amazingly fast. high-res
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These two male Ring-Necked Pheasants are out in the middle of a country road in Fort Edward. They are confused, having never seen a road before their release just a day or two ago. Later they will learn that during winter, when seeds are snow-covered and bugs are not available ... seeds will collect on the sides of cleared roads in small drifts. high-res
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Eventually the two male Pheasants got the idea and ran for the grass and off the road. They will never really learn to deal with cars very well. high-res
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The State also releases female Ring-Necked Pheasants. This one was dropped off a day or two earlier, and she also is not familiar with cars and people and the danger they represent. high-res
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This female Ring-Necked Pheasant is off the road and in the weeds, where she will be a lot safer. She is mostly brownish except for the little bit of red eye makeup. high-res
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March 2018 - I visited a local Pheasant breeder. This male is the leader of the pack, he is the dominant male. Here he stands in the center of the pen, facing me down and protecting his girlfriends and the other males. high-res
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He was pretty good at posing for me, displaying himself from every angle. But he never took his eyes off me. high-res
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A closeup look at this dominant male Ring-Necked Pheasant. Such a beautiful critter. high-res
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This is a female Ring-Necked Pheasant, all fluffed up for cold weather. They are able to survive our local winters where the temperature often drops to 35 degrees below zero. high-res
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January 2019, we got this photo of a male Ring-Necked Pheasant. The low winter sun late in the day really shows off his lovely colors! high-res |
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