Pheasant Family

August 06, 2011: Today I had the good fortune to be in the right place at the right time and saw something I've never seen before - "baby" pheasants.  Well, they are probably teenagers by now, but I'd never seen chicks of any age before, so this was a treat, despite the fact that I wasn't able to get really close:

 I thought I had them cornered against the chain link fence

  but these "babies" could fly,
and went up and over, with their mom...!

Only the male didn't fly over the fence, at least while I was standing there!  I now know, in hindsight, that this is a juvenile male, identified by the lack of the long tail feathers.  I saw him again two days later... (more photos below)

August 8, 2011:  I went back to the same place I saw the pheasant family on Saturday, but didn't see any of them in that place.  But as I turned around to leave, I came, basically, face-to-face with this juvenile male pheasant.  I am assuming he's a juvenile due to the lack of long tail feathers, but as yet have not  found any info to support that assumption.  He let me get quite close and while I stood motionless, camera ready, he felt comfortable enough to stop in a clearing and do some preening.  I got quite a few shots that way.  Actually I tired before he did, and when I moved, he finally sauntered away!  Here are  additional photos of a juvenile male pheasant:

 He stopped to preen

 but then stopped suddenly to check out
what was going on around him

 A little more preening

Always a treat to see the pheasants, and a special treat to see the whole family on a morning outing!  Gotta love Kissena Park, home to the Ring-Neck Pheasant!

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A Rare Glimpse of the Female Ringneck Pheasant!

One of my photographic goals each spring is to catch a great shot of the Ringneck Pheasants that live in my local park (Kissena Park).  I was totally amazed when I first discovered a few years ago that we had pheasants living in a city park!   Since then,  I have often heard their distinct calls, but rarely get to see them.  By "them" I mean the males, which are the only ones I have ever seen.  I have gotten some good shots of them.  Up until today, I had never seen a female.

As sunrise is earlier and earlier these spring mornings, I've been able to get out on my morning walk earlier too - and just around sunrise is the best time to catch some "pheasant action".  I was out even earlier than usual this morning, and it sure paid off for me!

First, this male pheasant popped out of the tall grass right in front of me:

I stopped short and slowly got my camera in position.  He stopped too,  frozen for a few moments,  giving me time to zoom in and catch some great poses: 

Then he decided he'd had enough and started to run back the way he came:

Back into the tall grass he ran:

This would have been enough for me!!  I was absolutely thrilled to have gotten these shots.  But then I saw some other movement in the tall grass:

A female!!  I couldn't believe my luck!  I crept around to the other side of the thicket and was treated to this rare sight!!

And then both together!!!

 What a fantastic way to start the day!!!!!!!

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