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A diary of my birding activity covering highlights and photos from my birding adventures. Mainly Norfolk (UK), occasionally beyond. I might mention the odd thing that isn't avian, but for moth and other insect news check out my mothing diary.

Monday 23 February 2015

Reeves's Pheasant hybrid

Had a look round the Hilborough - Great Cressingham - Little Cressingham - The Arms - Threxton Hill area yesterday morning.  Not many Pheasants on show and I managed to not see a single Reeves's anywhere.  I was keeping an eye out for a long-tailed dark pheasant Keiran had seen but no joy.  However I did see this, a Reeves's Pheasant x Common Pheasant hybrid.  I first saw this bird displaying 3 years ago: I've been back several times and not seen it, so was surprised to see that it was still surviving.  I'm pretty confident it was the same individual because (a) it was in exactly the same little copse and (b) it shows loose feathering over what appears to be a cyst at the back of the head.  Apparently Keiran's bird was much darker - could it be a Reeves's x Tenebrosus?  Let me know if you see that bird...






Reeves's Pheasant x Common Pheasant hybrid, Threxton Hill, 22nd February


The maize crop near the Arms was full of buntings and finches last winter and it is again now.  I couldn't find any rare buntings among the Reed and Yellowhammers, though I'm sure I didn't get to eyeball every bird in the flock.  There were a few Bramblings - I saw up to 4 at a time but I suspect the true number present was much higher.

The only finch I photographed was back at home:



Greenfinch, North Elmham, 22nd February

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