Lost

I was amazed to spot a strange bird through the kitchen window as I finished my lunch. The blipper's instinct immediately cut in and I rushed through the room for my camera.

This pheasant must have been lost or why else did it end up in a small garden in the middle of town?

It is a female and doesn't appear to be in the best of condition. There seem to bo some feathers missing around the head and in particular, it has lost its long central tail feathers.
It was feeding well on the spillage from the bird feeders where sparrows were letting a lot fall. This is the first time in 35 years that one has been seen in my garden.

I took 19 shots of poor quality - all through the window and at a high ISO (1600) before I spotted a neighbour's cat slowly stalking round the corner of the shed. It must have thought Christmas had come early! I dropped everything and ran out, scaring away both bird and cat before either could come to harm.


Apologies for the quality. This one was taken for the record/interest.