Pheasants

We had great views of this beautiful non-native male game bird (originally from from Asia), Phasianus colchicus or common pheasant,  as it strutted atop our pergola, annoyed at a neighborhood cat's encroachment into our garden.

Photo: D.Schultz

These beautiful creatures replaced the native grouse which were decimated when shooting became a popular sport in the 19th century. Pheasants were imported and raised specifically for the shoot. Young birds were kept en masse in enclosures on an estate by a gamekeeper until the shooting season began, at which point they were driven through the valleys, undergrowth and steep terrain by beaters and dogs to flush them into the air to be killed.

Those not shot got to live another day, this time unfenced and free to roam and breed. And so these birds have spread and multiplied in the wild, their numbers being supplemented each year with 'lucky' escapees.

Outstanding Tree

Look at this outstanding tree that has been left on the hillside, and how different the vegetation is directly beneath and around it. It ... stands out!

Footbridge

This wooden footbridge over the River Banwy (Afon Banwy) in Llanfair-Caereinion is pretty impressive

It leads to the town center, where there is a stone monument to the Welsh bard Taliesin, so I'll be back to explore this legend further. The Banwy was full, yet many reservoirs are still showing a deficit from the recent drought.

The Pond Log

Here's more on what we're doing in our efforts to restore our pond - we sourced some logs 'with character' from a friend's fallen tree (foreground), and

packed them into the back of the car with the trunk unlatched (a saga of its own in a car full of electronic beeping sounds and ultra-safety concerns that involved an automated, unnecessary use of the emergency brake at a most inappropriate time).

We strapped them onto our 'dolly'/sack cart, and then Dale wheeled them around the house to the pond area.

 He expertly placed them exactly where they 'spoke' to him. Since then, we've been harvesting moss fragments wherever it's not wanted, and we're slowly disguising the edges of the pond liner with it.

And, of course, our wildlife visitor's book for the pond has grown since then too

Photo: D Schultz