[SBB] Pheasants at Palo Alto Baylands

[Ron Wolf <[[email protected]]>]

   I'm convinced there are at least FOUR breeding pairs of
pheasants around the Baylands, and possibly five. (As
usual, there's more going on than you realize.) After
comparing photos of the males, I'm pretty sure I can
recognize three individuals. There have been times I've
seen three males and five hens simultaneously, although
not during breeding season.

   The most famous pair is nesting along the stretch or
road from the Interpretive Center parking lot to the
sailing station. Another pair is nesting in the fennel
patch. Another pair is nesting on the island across
the lagoon south of the ranger station. (I've spotted
that male only a few times after some vocalization in
response to one of the other males.) There's another
pair that usually can be found along the boundary
betweeen Baylands and the airport just north of the
Baylands gate. (This male can occasionally be seen
along the road just inside the gate.) Finally, I think
there's another pair a little farther north along
the airport-Baylands boundary. That male never gets
down to the area around the road.

    Although I was beginning to think I could tell the
difference between them by looking at photos that show the
size, shape and length of the wattle, something happened
last week to upset that conclusion. I was watching one of
the males doing some courtship circling and suddenly
realized that the wattle is at least partially under his
muscular control, i.e., he manipulated the wattle as part
of his courtship display, doing more than just shaking it.

-- Ron Wolf

_______________________________________________
Do not post admin requests to the list. They will be ignored.
South-Bay-Birds mailing list      ([[email protected]])
Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription:
http://plaidworks.org/mailman/listinfo/south-bay-birds_plaidworks.org