Saturday, March 7, 2015

Saturday Sightings

Saturday Sightings

Ring-Necked Pheasant

We have an enormous collection of birds that roam the grounds here at the Backus-Page House Museum and call the surrounding provincial park their home. We have recently created a small bird-sighting book for our visitors which includes 12+ pages listing the various birds that have been and can be sighted on our grounds during the various seasons. One such bird is the Ring-Necked Pheasant. A rare sight these days but this past fall a staff member viewed one racing across the grounds into the neighboring woodlands.
 
The Ring-Necked Pheasant is a gorgeous bird with interesting colouration and a long thin tail. The males have green/blue heads with a white ring around their necks. The females however are more of a ruddy brown in order to be more camouflaged. These birds are rarely seen in the air other than when they are startled, they spend the majority of their lives on the ground. Ring-Necked Pheasants are a common game bird and are regularly hunted, however the provincial park provides a safe haven for all animals because no hunting is permitted on its grounds. These birds typically live in bushy farmlands or in the edges of forests. They feed on insects, berries and a variety of grains and seeds.
 
For more information on the Ring-Necked Pheasant please visit the following website:
 


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