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December 10, 1992 - A Colorful Visitor for the HolidaysDecember 10, 1992 • The Suffolk Times • 11 A A Colorful Visitor for the Holidays By Paul Stoutenburgh Sara, our granddaughter, was over helping her grandmother the other day when she looked out on the brick patio where our chickens were feeding on some surplus scattered birdseed and asked, "Nannie, what's that ?" Barbara had to take a second look for there was a big handsome cock pheasant feeding nonchalantly just outside the perimeter of the chickens. Since that day he has been here in the backyard whenever I go out to feed. Evidently he has found a good and easy supply of food. Once he actually stood up on the old split -rail fence as if he was overseeing the chick- Focus on Nature ens below. Pheasants are not native to our land but rather they've been introduced as a game bird by hunting clubs, game commissions or possibly they are es- capees from someone's private collec- tion. The idea of trying to introduce nonnative species, both birds and ani- mals, is not new to this country. In read- ing Peterson's "Birds Over America" he tells of Washington receiving various species of pheasants that he tried to in- troduce into his Mt. Vernon estate, but with little success. It wasn't until the late 1800s that the ring- necked pheasant from China and Mongolia was securely established and then only in certain ar- eas. Pheasants won't be found in the deep forest or dry desert areas. They prefer open fields with cover of scrubby brush, hedge rows and thickets. Their ideal habitat is the area around Idaho, South Dakota, Kansas and Minnesota, where the grain belt lies, and just south of the heavy snows. No. l Game Bird Because of its rapid flight, handsome color and delicious eating, ring- necked pheasants have become through the years the No. 1 game bird in America. Hundreds of thousands are raised and released each year. I can personally re- member the big shoots over on Robins Island where literally hundreds of birds would be brought in and released only to be flushed up later for shooting. Pheasants only fly a short distance and so during these shoots many birds would try to fly away from the gunners toward the mainland but would fall short in the water. It was then that the locals would go out in their boats with their crab nets and catch a special evening meal. For some reason they don't like the far south. They do quite well in the cold north until deep snow covers the ground. Another danger is sleet, for with their long tails that drag behind them they sometimes actually become frozen to the ground, unable to escape. Here they starve or become easy prey for predators. If the snow is soft and shallow they can scratch through it for seeds to survive. If not, the resourceful ones will take to the trees and bushes to `Remember, it's pretty hard to tell a bird to stay put.' Ito by Paul Stoutenburgt RING- NECKED PHEASANT —This handsome game bird we all enjoy is not a native bird but the result of birds released by local gun clubs or the DEC. eat buds and berries. Of course, during the warmer months weed seeds of all kinds and insects of all sorts are eaten along with berries and fruits. Pheasants are polygamists and so when March and April come around, mating starts up. During this time the male calls in his noisy hoarse voice, something like a barnyard rooster, pro- claiming his superiority to all others in the field. The cock pheasant becomes cocky and struts about with wings drooped and tail erect, displaying his beautiful colors and challenging any outsider to the harem he has attracted. This can be from one to a half -dozen females and it's during this time of the year that many fights take place be- tween rival males. I've seen them fight so fiercely that I thought one would literally be killed. The underdog's head was completely covered with blood from the many sharp spurs and pecks the king of the flock had inflicted. Seldom are these contacts fatal as the underdog is usually driven off, only to sulk in the distance. Female Goes It Alone Once the harem is won, mating takes place and from then on the male has nothing to do with family affairs. The nondescript, camouflaged, brown fe- male finds a suitable hidden spot for her ground nest where she lays from 10 to 12 eggs. Incubation does not take place until all eggs are laid so that when hatching time comes all the young hatch at one time. As soon as the young are out of the shell, the mother leads them away from the nest, never to return again. This is the most vulnerable time for these young chicks. Crows, hawks, snakes, weasels, rats, foxes, and I'm sorry to say most of all marauding cats, play havoc with the young. The mother will brood them often during these early days to keep them warm, especially if it becomes cold or rainy. This is why long periods of rain in the spring can deci- mate a clutch of chicks. As the young grow they become more and more inde- pendent but stay together through the summer in large, loose groups as they feed. Pheasants, as I've mentioned, are not native to our land but rather have been introduced. Many other types of birds have been tried but outside of a fewi partridge and quail, most have failed. The reason for this is that the birds did not match the habitat they were taken from. Of all the many varieties of pheasants tried only the ring - necked has succeeded in establishing itself, because it came from China where the habitat was basically the same as ours. The birds we see along the roadside or in the field have been bought and paid for by our local gun clubs. It is their hope that the members will profit from their releases when the hunting season comes, but many will escape. Remember, it's pretty hard to tell a bird to stay put. They like to travel, espe- cially after being cooped up in a pen for most of their lives. So the ones you and I see are actually extras that have wandered off the hunt- ing grounds and have come to our back- yards to delight us. Hopefully some will winter over and have young and they in time will benefit all of us both hunters and nonhunters alike.