Blue pheasant found in garden
When a Lincolnshire amateur ornithologist saw a flash of blue in his garden he couldn't believe his eyes.
Mike Lake, from Saxilby, managed to take a picture of the bright blue male pheasant as it strutted about in his back garden.
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The blue pheasant
"It's clearly living wild but it's been visiting for a couple of weeks so it's obviously surviving," he said.
"I think it's roosting somewhere nearby.
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"It's certainly strikingly beautiful. It brings a bit of vibrancy and colour to the environment."
For many in the birdwatching community there is still debate as to the cause or existence of wild blue pheasants with many dismissing reports of sightings as merely juvenile peacocks.
Even members of the local RSPB seemed unsure about the creatures.
Lincolnshire RSPB spokesman Steve Lovell said: "It's the first time I've come across them.
"But you never know what has been bred and released from game estates each year."
In recent years, sightings of iridescently feathered pheasants have been on the rise across the county, possibly due to selective breeding by gamekeepers.
A spokesman for the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, Morag Walker, said the birds were common.
"It's not really blue," she said.
"All pheasants have these iridescent feathers and this is just a mutation of an ordinary cock pheasant."
And it seems the birds unusual colour might help it in the long run with restaurateurs rejecting the idea of eating them.
Alan Ritson, owner of the Old Bakery restaurant in Lincoln which serves pheasant, said he didn't think the birds would taste any different once cooked.
"But it would be terrible to do that to them," he added.
For more on the wild blue pheasant, see Tuesday's Echo.
Comments
by Bob, Lincoln
Wednesday, March 18 2009, 5:26AM
“Steve, the bird in this photo looks nothing like the Lophura swinhoei...nice google-ing, but I think an eye test is in order.”
by Steve, Waddington
Tuesday, March 17 2009, 10:52PM
“Are they being imported - see below.
It belongs to the Phasianidae family of Galliformes order. Its scientific name is Lophura swinhoii (Latin), or Swinhoe's Blue Pheasant (English).
Its full-length is about 80 centimeters. The male's crista and back are white, and the feathers of rest part of upper body and lower body are black with blue metallic luster. The scapular is henna. The naked cheek and caruncle are red. Except that the central pair is white, the rest of rectrices are black with blue luster. The feet are ponceau. Body feathers of the female are mainly henna, mixed with black lines and yellow spots.
It mainly inhabits in upland primal broadleaf forests at an elevation of 2,000 to 2,300 meters, occasionally seen in dense jungles at low elevation. Its breeding season is from March to July, and nests are built on the ground with thin branches and dry leaves. It lays 5 to 8 eggs per brood, which are straw yellow without spots.
Swinhoe's Blue Pheasant is endemic to Taiwan Island. It has been listed in Appendix I of International Trade Convention on Endangered Wild Animal and Plant Species.”
by W.Wilkins, Lincoln
Tuesday, March 17 2009, 8:01PM
“M C Donald, well if we just cant wait that long there are always the duck and partidge on the 1st of september instead.”
by M C Donald, Lincoln
Tuesday, March 17 2009, 4:27PM
“I hope they taste as nice as the standard birds.
Roll on the 1 October. Mmmm.”
by W.Wilkins, Lincoln
Tuesday, March 17 2009, 3:53PM
“Well thats the general idea of shooting, yes.”
by halibut, Lincoln
Tuesday, March 17 2009, 3:20PM
“" Lets hope he has a good breeding year so there are lots more as lovely as this one about"
Indeed. Then you can shoot them as much as you like.”
by W.Wilkins, Lincoln
Tuesday, March 17 2009, 8:17AM
“Well in all the years i have been game shooting (about 25 years) Its the first time i have seen a blue pheasant, so there not that common. The reason they always look so pretty at this time of year is to attract the hen birds. To be honest this one looks so magnificent i would be upset if i shot it. Lets hope he has a good breeding year so there are lots more as lovely as this one about, excellent story and well done to the man who took the photo.”
by Jack Hargreaves, ,,Gone Fishin`
Tuesday, March 17 2009, 7:47AM
“"A spokesman for the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, Morag Walker, said the birds were common."
She`s right. Anyone who knows the S.Kyme area will have known that for years. Keep your eyes open around there and you`ll see them in all colours.”