Alas female pheasants

Correction to that previous post, sadly I saw a dead female pheasant on the road today, same perilous (for wildlife) stretch of A30 in Cornwall. On the upside however also saw several hunting kestrels over the verges plus buzzards and also numerous opportunist magpies and crows hoovering up the unfortunate victims of speeding motorists. Circle of life and all that...

Alas pheasants

Driving up the A30 from Cornwall to Exeter the other day I was dismayed to see the sheer number of male pheasants lying dead either on or by the side of the carriageway. I counted at least seven on one two-mile stretch, pretty grim viewing. Autumn is the time of year for agressive male birds to go rampaging out and about so I guess it's inevitable that many would venture onto the tarmac, plus there are a large number of wide sweeping fields and patches of moorland along this piece of road. The number of dead birds I've seen lately are a miniscule drop in the ocean however compared with the (conservative) estimate of at least 10 million birds and animals killed on british roads every year, with poor old pheasants outnumbering every other species by six times.
Yet to see a dead female pheasant on the road though, which is a little strange.

Top Dog

My trusty canine sidekick poses dramatically on top of Kilmar Tor. He has just paused from running and jumping to scan the surroundings for unwary wildlife and also to audition for a part in the latest remake of Lassie.