The Common
WRITTENWRIW TTTTENB BYY~ ~ MATTMATTTT WINTERWINWINTERR | | WILDNATURENEWZEALAND|WILDNANATURTUREENEWZEALANDDPheasant
The common pheasant or ring-necked pheasant
male would have to be the most colourful and
'ornate' of New Zealand's game birds
They also happen to be our largest game bird and are known for
their fantastic eating qualities. North Island pheasant populations
are significantly healthier than the South Island so for a wildlife
photographer hailing from Marlborough, merely seeing a pheasant
is a fairly momentous occasion...and actually getting a photograph
of one is next level.The Marlborough pheasant population
has fluctuated over the years with habitat
changes and destruction being one of
the major causes. Urbanisation, roads,
walkways and especially grapes have all
contributed to loss of habitat, which in
turn means fewer feeding and breeding
opportunities.
Every once in a while during the first
three decades or so of my hunting
'life', I would see a pheasant as a by-product of duck, quail or rabbit hunting.
I always enjoyed the encounters. More
often than not it would involve a
single bird suddenly flushing from
thick cover, often from right beneath
my feet, scaring the bejeepers out of me.
The loud 'koorrrrk' sound as it lifted off
did nothing to settle my nerves either.
On other occasions, it would be just a
brief glimpse of a brightly coloured cock
bird, already fully aware of my presence,
sneaking out the back door through longgrasses or thick scrub.
Of course, when I picked up a camera
a few years ago and got right into my
wildlife photography, the pheasant
was high on the list of birds to try and
photograph. Their wonderful coloured
plumage just begs to be photographed,
doesn't it? I spent many frustrating
hours targeting areas where I had
seen pheasants in the past but
such is their sporadic and sparse
distribution, opportunities were few
and far between. I did manage a few
images of birds behind cover or running
away at pace but all were 'deletes'.
I decided a change of tack was required.
A spear fishing and bow hunting friend
in Nelson mentioned to me that he saw
pheasants quite regularly in the Rabbit
Island area not far from Richmond. Good
bugger that he is, Jason took me out
there one day and suggested a couple
of areas that might suit for what I had in
mind.
From there, I went back home and over64 NZ HUNTER MAGAZINE ~August / September 2019Food
& Fauna
WRITTENWRITTTTENBBYY~~ MATTMATTWINWINTERTER| WILDNATURENEWZEALAND|WILDNAATURENEWZEALANDDPheasant
The common pheasant or ring-necked pheasant
male would have to be the most colourful and
'ornate' of New Zealand's game birds
They also happen to be our largest game bird and are known for
their fantastic eating qualities. North Island pheasant populations
are significantly healthier than the South Island so for a wildlife
photographer hailing from Marlborough, merely seeing a pheasant
is a fairly momentous occasion...and actually getting a photograph
of one is next level.The Marlborough pheasant population
has fluctuated over the years with habitat
changes and destruction being one of
the major causes. Urbanisation, roads,
walkways and especially grapes have all
contributed to loss of habitat, which in
turn means fewer feeding and breeding
opportunities.
Every once in a while during the first
three decades or so of my hunting
'life', I would see a pheasant as a by-product of duck, quail or rabbit hunting.
I always enjoyed the encounters. More
often than not it would involve a
single bird suddenly flushing from
thick cover, often from right beneath
my feet, scaring the bejeepers out of me.
The loud 'koorrrrk' sound as it lifted off
did nothing to settle my nerves either.
On other occasions, it would be just a
brief glimpse of a brightly coloured cock
bird, already fully aware of my presence,
sneaking out the back door through longgrasses or thick scrub.
Of course, when I picked up a camera
a few years ago and got right into my
wildlife photography, the pheasant
was high on the list of birds to try and
photograph. Their wonderful coloured
plumage just begs to be photographed,
doesn't it? I spent many frustrating
hours targeting areas where I had
seen pheasants in the past but
such is their sporadic and sparse
distribution, opportunities were few
and far between. I did manage a few
images of birds behind cover or running
away at pace but all were 'deletes'.
I decided a change of tack was required.
A spear fishing and bow hunting friend
in Nelson mentioned to me that he saw
pheasants quite regularly in the Rabbit
Island area not far from Richmond. Good
bugger that he is, Jason took me out
there one day and suggested a couple
of areas that might suit for what I had in
mind.
From there, I went back home and over64 NZ HUNTER MAGAZINE ~August / September 2019Food
& Fauna