LIFER! RNPH in Terra Nova!

My post begins today with entering the Terra Nova Sharing Farm, where birds of all sorts meet and greet, and enjoying the seeds and insects in the soil.

Entrance into a magical place!?

Birds such as:

Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)

Hanging Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus) with interesting bokeh


Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus) with piercing eyes.


American Robin (Turdus migratorius)

Most of the birds were quite shy and it was difficult to photograph them, especially so close to the sun setting where the lighting was not optimal. That was when I started pedaling to the back of the farm and hoped to find the Short-eared Owl again. And that was when I realized that someone (or something) was behind me!

Who is that!!?

I quickly turned my bike to the side trail and parked there (while the pheasant could see me) and prepared my camera. It was a male Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)! It was the species (and perhaps even the same individual) that I missed the opportunity of seeing a while back. Well, not today!


For some reason, it wasn't shy at all and approached me slowly.

At first I was kneeling down, but seeing how the bird wasn't going to run away I decided to just sit on the ground and photograph it.

It kept looking at the ground, and at the same time drooping its wings and breathing heavily - I suppose that is its way of making itself look larger and fiercer?

Well, eventually, the pheasant got within about a meter (or less) away from me and so I was able to get its beautiful portraits!

While it was amazing to see this beautiful pheasant up close, the thought of the animal going crazy and starting to attack me entered me mind a couple of times. But I just say to myself (and to the pheasant) that I mean it no harm and it can do its business peacefully.


So beautiful.


At first I was worried how I am going to get up and leave the spot without startling the pheasant. Well, after 20 minutes of close contact with this pheasant, a dog-walker with two dogs walked behind me and that scared the bird off and away it goes into the grasses.

Blogger Huckleberry Days once wrote a post about RNPH, read about it here.

What a day! What a day!

365 days ago (2009-02-22) ...
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