Pheasants and Wheat Stubble

One critter I have not had much success capturing in photos is a pheasant. We have a bunch of them running around the wheat stubble fields here in Fort Benton, MT. I was able to catch some shots at a distance a month ago.

Makes me sad to write "shots" as it is now pheasant hunting season here. Several hunters and their dogs have been trying to walk these muddy fields (from our last snowfall) but they aren't staying long due to slipping and sliding. So I think the pheasants are safe for a few more days.

Peacock Feathers

I spent a lot of time this past week working on an embroidery piece of a bird I find very fascinating -- the peacock.

Here is some information obtained online through Wikipedia about this special character. The male is called a peacock, the female a peahen, and the offspring peachicks.[1] The adult female peafowl is grey and/or brown. Peachicks can be between yellow and a tawny colour with darker brown patches. The peacock flares out his feathers when he is trying to get the peahen's attention. Peafowl are omnivorous and eat most plant parts, flower petals, seed heads, insects and other arthropods, reptiles, and amphibians. During the mating season they will often emit a very loud high-pitched cry. They also travel in hunting packs between ten and ninety. There are many different cultural significances in other lands that picture a peacock in them. He has many different representations even a deity who possesses benevolence, patience, kindness, compassion and knowledge. In some cultures the peacock is also a symbol of pride or vanity, due to the way the bird struts and shows off its plumage.

Proverbs about bird feathers -- Some I have heard and others are new to me. Chicken are beautiful because of their feathers, women are beautiful because of their make-up. Thai Proverb -*- Fine feathers make fine birds.. Vietnamese Proverb. -*- Every bird is proud of its feathers.. Maltese Proverb. -*- A bird does not change its feathers because the weather is bad.. Nigerian Proverb. -*- The fowl perspires, but the feathers do not allow us to see the perspiration.. Nigerian Proverb. -*- A bird will always use another birds' feathers to feather its own nest.. South Sotho Proverb. -*- The peacock hath fair feathers, but a foul voice.. Chinese Proverb. -*- A bird is known by his feathers.. Yiddish proverb. -*- Words and feathers the wind carries away.. Romanian Proverb. -*- The peacock hath fair feathers, but foul feet.. Romanian Proverb. -*-

I zoned in on my dogwood blooms on this piece as well. One thing I miss living in the South is dogwood trees. We used to have one in our front yard when I was growing up and I loved those delicate petals.

Rural Montana Photos

I found these photos to be beautiful when thumbing through a mini-magazine we get from our telephone or electric cooperative here in Montana. Thought I would share them with you to enjoy.

This one is titled "Little Drummer Bird" taken by Merle Ann Loman of Victor, MT. Meriwether Lewis called this bird, "the small brown pheasant," noting it was "booted" or feathered to the foot, Merle reports. If you're in the woods and hear a drumming sound, that will be this guy.

This photo is titled "Bird on Fire" Nikki Kirk of Kalispell, MT got first place with this dramatic image. I love the colors.

This one is titled "Bird on Ice" taken by Lana Smith of Broadus, MT. This is a ringneck pheasant proudly dancing across the ice on his toes. Pheasants are everywhere in the area of Fort Benton, MT (where I currently live) and can be seen along the sides of the roads about as much as mule deer. I love seeing and listening to Montana wildlife. Hope you enjoyed these photos.