When I look through my photos I can usually tell which month I’m looking at by the colours. November is dominated by brown. But it’s not any old sludgy brown. Oh no! It’s more of a rich chestnut colour with golden orangey browns plus bronze and coppery tints.
Wild pheasants eat seeds, grains and shoots. When their food supply becomes scarce in autumn and winter they often visit our garden to take advantage of any wild bird seed that has fallen from our bird table. They are quite timid birds by nature but hunger forces them to be brave. The females are attractive birds with pale brown feathers. Male pheasants are simply stunning. The markings on their feathers are amazing and they seem to be in every shade of brown and gold that you can imagine.
You would think that those feathers would stand out in the green and pleasant British countryside wouldn’t you? Well they do in summer time. Drive along any country lane through the grassy hills around here and you’ll spot pheasants galore clustered together in the fields. The collective noun for a group of pheasants is a bouquet. You may also hear them referred to as a nide or a nye or even a bevy.
Pheasants are game birds and are bred for shooting. When danger threatens they take shelter in woodland, hedgerows and copses. Anything on the other side of the roadside hedge don’t seem to bother them so you can usually have a good look at them from your car without scaring them off. In gardens they will take advantage of evergreen bushy shrubs such as Holly to hide underneath when they are frightened.
Have the glorious shades of autumn arrived in your garden yet?