Walking along Appletree Road, there is a field below. I had seen a pheasant take a dive into the fern undergrowth of the stone hedge, but down below, there was a sight that I have never seen before - a pair of pheasant; never ever seen a hen before. They are a beautiful bird, unfortunately a game bird, as they have no stamina for long flights. Never quite seen the point of all the fuss over shooting them (what exactly is clever about pulling a trigger on a large slow animal); I was given some many years ago - tasted just like bitter chicken. Much rather see them roaming wild like this. I saw six males on this trip.
6th August 2009.
