A few weeks ago, as we were having breakfast, we could hear the ‘oomp, oomp, oomp’ call of a Pheasant Coucal coming from outside on the up-side of our house. It had been quite some time since we had heard that call in our yard.
I went to have a look but it had stopped calling and was nowhere to be seen.
After that , for the next week or so, we heard the call on a number of occasions. At one of these I looked out and spotted him somewhat hidden behind leaves in a nearby tree. I raced in to get my camera but, on my return, the Pheasant had gone. I also spotted him crossing a pathway and going straight into the thick growth of
plants.
After that, one morning, we heard the call from one side of our house and then there was a return call further down the hill. This meant that we had a pair in our area. Unfortunately I didn’t find a nest but it was good to know that these birds were in our vicinity.
The Pheasant Coucal is about 70 to 80cm in length with a fairly long tail. It has a laborious flight which is no doubt why it spends the majority of its time on the ground. Nest building also seems to be a major task.
Some years ago, I saw a Pheasant sitting on a fence post with an insect in its beak. I stopped the car, reversed back to where I could watch the bird.
Later I found where the nest was hidden. I set up a hide over a period of a few days. After checking that the birds weren’t worried by it, I was able to get some photos like the one illustrated here.
