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Ring-necked Pheasant

Phasianus colchicus

It's not often that all the stars align for a photo opportunity, not when your quarry is a wild creature with a mind of its own. IN this case, I don't think there's much else I could have asked for. One of my favorite birding locations is near Presho, South Dakota, an area that has unusually high numbers of raptors in the winter. The reason? It's an area heavily managed for hunting game birds, and there very high numbers of Ring-necked Pheasants and Sharp-tailed Grouse in the area. On this morning in November of 2008, I reached Presho just as the sun was rising, headed a few miles southwest to my favorite location, and came across this gorgeous Ring-necked Pheasant, sitting on top of a fence. The pose of the bird, with the little head turn towards the camera, the warm morning light, and of course, having a pheasant ironically perch right next to a "no-hunting" sign...I couldn't have set up the photo opportunity any better.

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