Pheasant

Now theres a bird you don't see pictures of too often - nice shot!

Great photo ..

Good photo Sid.

Nice shot Sid...

Beautiful photo. Try sharpening it in Photoshop. I think there is still a lot in that photo which could be brought out by a little sharpening (use the utensil, where you can control the per cent - I never use more than 50%) and a little more contrast. It might also look very good as a black and white. You just desaturate the whole picture.

Eh? Getting a bit technical on me there Lillycoton! I'm not even sure I have Photoshop! But it would be useful to have a thingy that would sharpen up out-of-focus shots.

Just had a quick look and I seem to have something called HP Photosmart on my desktop, which I think came with the new HP printer I got. I wonder if that would do it? Is Photoshop one of the freebies you can get on line sometimes? If you look at my pictures, there's one of a Redwing which is slightly out of focus - I think it's a lovely picture, I'm just dissappointed it's not quite in focus - I wonder if Photoshop would sort that one out? Weird gagetry stuff! Ha!

Nice photo Sid

Super Photo Sid

Beautiful bird, how big do they get ?

Not sure what to compare it with F1, but I'd say about 60-70cm from beak to the end of the tail. They are not native to the UK (they come from India), but are bred and managed for shooting. Understandably, they are rather nervous - especially at this time of year! The female is drab brown but the male is gorgeous with gold and red and green - a real dandy! I believe they don't often breed successfully in the wild here, but they are a very common sight.

Thanks Sid, you can tell even from a distance that he has a very colorful head. Quite a wonderful sight to see in the dead of winter.

Yes they are very beautiful creatures. I recently read this verse by Pope, which I thought you might like to read - describes them perfectly:-

See! From the brake the whirring Pheasant springs,
And mounts exulting on triumphant wings:
Short is his joy; he feels the fiery wound,
Flutters in blood, and panting beats the ground.
Ah! What avail his glossy, varying dyes,
His purple crest, and scarlet-circled eyes,
The vivid green his shining plumes unfold,
His painted wings, and breast that flames with gold?

Lovely photo and beautiful verse by Pope. And sad - why do people behave so in the name of "sport".

I don't know Magnoliatree - I have mixed feelings about pheasant shoots - on one hand I don't understand how people can take pleasure in killing and on the other hand the pheasants have a much better quality and length of life than a battery chicken - all freerange and relatively natural etc - so maybe it's a kinder way of producing meat if you look at the wider picture?

You're probably right Sarah. I'm a vegetarian, as is my daughter and one of my grandsons so......However I'm not militant. Others in my family and friends are meat eaters. They do insist on free-range (traceable) animals that have had a natural life and have been humanely killed. It is so called "sport" that upsets me.

I think it's wonderful that you and your (part) family are veggie! The money-driven meat industry is not only bad for the animals involved, but is disasterous for the environment too. I tend towards only eating freerange poultry and fish these days myself, but it's difficult when you're cooking for others too. I'm with you on blood sports - I just can't understand the mentality. Do you know the other verse to Pope's poem? SO sad!

Pope - don't know much about 18th c. poetry, Sarah. Studied 17th c. Loved best the Pre-Raphaelites especially the women. Shall however "google" Pope. Now enough - this is a gardening site!! But it is lovely to speak of other things even vaguely connected to the garden.