Pigeon Posts

The Head Gardener has become less enamoured of our Lucky pheasant who has clearly taken up permanent residence. Unfortunately, he tends to redistribute her careful placement of shells and peck new shoots off her heucheras. She now tends to attempt to persuade him to depart. He is, however, very smart. Yesterday he led Aaron a merry dance around the potting sheds. Humans are bound to stick to the paths. Lucky can nip across the beds from one to another.

On this, the warmest afternoon yet, as I moved from one bench to another basking in the sunshine,

our ring-necked strutter followed me around as if to enquire what I was doing here.

Meanwhile, overhead, taking up vantage posts in the still naked trees, well-fed pigeons dozed, preened, and stretched in readiness for the mating season to come.

This evening we dined on Forest Tandoori’s excellent takeaway fare. My choice was chicken jalfrezi with special rice; Jackie’s was chicken biriani.

93 comments

  1. Lucky may be wondering what you are doing loitering about in his garden. He’s very beautiful! I am pleased to see you are feeling a little better and eating a good meal again. Both of you remain in my thoughts.

    1. He is very beautiful as you say, I have taken to moving my vulnerable plants and shells out of his way, Lucky wins the day!!

  2. It looks like Lucky feels that he is The King of the garden and acts accordingly. He certainly looks regal, with his vivid coloring.
    Glad you are feeling a bit better, Derrick!

  3. I was wandering around the garden today, followed by a troupe of female pheasants who knew I had a container of suet pellets in my hand… 🙂 Boy pheasants usually also just want food. Yours is very handsome, let’s hope he remains just one pheasant – we have four males here each day along with up to 23 hen pheasants….

    I love wood pigeons – particularly their calls on warm summer days.

  4. Lucky is colorfully-handsome and a joyful addition to the garden. I hope he and The Head Gardner can become friends. 😉 😀 Maybe he is trying to help in a misguided way OR he likes to play pranks on people. Remind him he’d make a fine meal and maybe he’ll get in line. Ha! 😉 😛
    Love the pigeon photos! Especially the close up of the beautiful wing! It makes me think about how bird-moms often cover and protect their babies under their wings.
    HUGS!!!
    PS…I hear people eat pigeons, too, but I’ve never eaten pheasant or pigeon. I just like to watch them. 🙂

    1. It seems we have a garden full of food! Have to admit that I have eaten both in the past, I’d rather have the birds cooing in my garden tho’.

      1. Yes, me, too, Jackie! 🙂
        I have, of course, eaten chicken and turkey. And they cluck and gobble. 🙂
        Your garden and the garden photos bring me such joy! Thank you! 🙂
        (((HUGS))) to you!!! 🙂

  5. I too am facing a somewhat similar dilemma as the Head Gardener at the moment. Last month a stray bitch chose to bless the nearby vacant plot with a litter of five. It being the peak of winters, we provided her with shade and shelter but now the bunch of four (one having vanished mysteriously) have become so enamoured of us they are refusing to leave the stairwell to our home. Regrettably, they are pooping and peeing all over the Newfoundland to the huge discomfort of other residents. While we may take one of them in but we are torn for the injustice it will do to the rest of them, and no one would have any of them. I am daily seeking inspiration from the mighty POTA to have them evicted, but the eternal struggle in my heart goes on…

  6. The Sigma seems to be working out nicely – love the pigeon zoom! The colours on Lucky are magnificent although i sympathise with Jackie over the proud creature’s less attractive habits.
    Heaven forbid you should find yourself landlords to any more than one!

    I hope the Sun continues to shine on you both and the Winter blues and difficult days remain behind you.

  7. Enjoyed your pigeon post, Derrick. The pheasant is gorgeous, but unfortunately his attempted residence is conflicting with The Head Gardener’s rules… I would advise you to take more pictures while you have the chance 🙂

  8. Lucky no doubt has aspirations to become a gardener and, lured in by all the signs of spring, plans to become an apprentice to the Head Gardener. Let’s hope he learns what does and does not need to be pruned.

  9. I do sympathise with Jackie. We have any number of pheasants in our garden pecking the tops off flowers they have no intention of eating, eating other plants and scraping great holes everywhere. The wood pigeons do lots of damage as do the rabbits, though we have less of those than of yore because of disease. The deer are the worst of the lot, especially the muntjac, as they eat EVERYTHING!!! All my tulips have gone and the pulmonaria and the scilla have had their flowers chewed off. UGH!!

  10. We had seven pheasants wander through the farm one year. They did not stay long, but one did hold a conversation with me from the other side of the fence for a while before he disappeared with the others. I see one form time to time, but mostly have flocks of California quail pass through, and have found them in our garden and vineyards.

  11. Send some of your warmer weather our way, will you? Our Hungarian Partridge were barely visible, peeking their heads out from a foot and a half of snow. Our Madison River has gorged and is covering the bridge that now blocks access into our town. Schools are closed tomorrow. A rare decision for Ennis, MT. Ah, we are ready for a little thawing! I’d welcome a pheasant or two! <3

  12. What a very beautiful bird Derrick, never heard of it being a nuisance, have read about it being sought after by the shooters in England in the old days, much like the hunting of foxes, still in all, a very beautiful bird.

  13. I’m amazed at how tame your pheasant is. We are having a few of them visit at the moment, both. male and female but they scoot off the minute they see us. Such a lovely photograph of him.

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