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Show Animal Nonsense About Pheasants . . . By W. D. McArthur The last time a pheasant was seen from our yard was during the spring of 1975. At that time she was attempting to find her nest amid the first cutting of alfalfa. She was the last and only pheasant that made her nest in the field in back of our house. Before the cutting she could be observed, several times a day, gliding in for a landing in the alfalfa, only to disappear in the green foliage. She would land with other birds who used the field for nesting, maybe, in an attempt to hide her heritage, but her size gave her away. Was her nest filled with eggs or young chicks that hungrily awaited her arrival? Were the chicks cut up and destroyed by the mower or did they starve to death when the mother was unable to locate them under the fallen crop of feed? In any event, the chicks and nest were destroyed by the rake that followed the mower, several days later, if any were alive. After a seemingly futile attempt to locate the nest, the mother hen gave up and was seen no more. It was in 1971 that a friend and I, driving along the road beside the alfalfa field were stopped by a covey of pheasants ready to cross the road in front of us. We were able to count 11 birds before they turned back into the-safety the-safety of the alfalfa, not ready to trust a human. Pheasants are one of the most beautiful game birds on the American continent. The irridescent green head and coppery brown body plumage are among the most colorful species of birds in America. They are not a bird that was native to this continent but were brought into the country and first introduced in the Willamette Valley of Oregon in 1882. These birds were brought from China and Japan, especially espec-ially a black-necked and two ringed neck species and these breeding with other varieties of pheasants have resulted in a mixed or hybrid race. Predominately Predom-inately the green head, rump and coppery body are the most common. The pheasants nest and hatch on the ground in a very shallow hollow that is bedded with a thin vegetation. It is the female alone who takes over the family duties, not only scratching out the hollow but lining it with hastily found dry grass. She will lay between 8 to 15 eggs and she will sit on the eggs 3 to 4 weeks until the eggs hatch. Seeds are the main diet of the pheasants but bugs, grasshoppers, worms, and other insects are consumed. They also eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, tubers and plant stalks. The chief enemy of the pheasant is not only mankind but the skunk and fox along with the horned owl and goshawk. It is estimated that as many pheasants are killed by automobiles as are by predators, but it is man who is wiping out the pheasant in the Moab area by his burning of the nesting ground in and near the river, his clearing of the tree shelters, in which the birds hide, and the relentless poaching of game in and out of season. Pheasant when full grown will usually roost and sleep in trees but the young will roost in cover on the ground making easy prey to predators. They are closely related to the quail, partridge, grouse, and strange as it may seem peacocks and turkeys. The chukar partridge, is also closely related but its favorite habitat, different from its relatives, is rocky, barren, open country. It is to be hoped that the pheasant will prevail in spite of all odds, but the advancement advance-ment of encroaching progress, as it is called, is sure to wipe out the nesting places of all game birds. |