Sacha wrote:
On 2009-11-25 23:59:17 +0000, "Christina Websell"
said:


"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2009-11-25 08:57:51 +0000, Aries
said:

On Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:04:28 +0000, Sacha wrote:

We've had a cock pheasant on the lawn scrounging peanuts, just
recently. They're shameless!

Beautiful tho. I love seeing them but not when they're pinching my
seeds
!

Any veg we grow are for sale, so they're in pots in the greenhouses and
more in danger from stray mice, if any are around. I sometimes put out
sultanas for the pheasants, too and they get quite silly about them.

--


The old poachers used to soak sultanas in whisky and then collect up the
drunken pheasants when they either fell out of the trees or couldn't
make it
up there to roost.

Doesn't seem very sporting, does it?

Tina

I'd heard of that trick and no, it doesn't!

Automarinade...

--
Rusty

Sacha wrote:
On 2009-11-26 23:18:23 +0000, K said:

Sacha writes
On 2009-11-26 16:31:53 +0000, K said:

Sacha writes
Oh definitely - food for the pot etc. But I do agree with Val
that it's a bit hard on the poor old pheasants to exploit their
weakness!
You reckon the pheasants prefer the alternative? ;-)

Whooping it up on raisins and bring on the dancing hens? You bet. ;-)

No, I meant the alternative which ends up with them being shot in a
sporting manner, as I'm sure you knew ;-)

They probably stand more chance of getting away on a shoot. Of course,
if they're halfway sensible, they walk and don't get shot anyway.

Except at the end of the eason on special walked-up days for keepers,
pickers-up and beaters - birds which don't fly tend to produce broods of
more birds that don't fly...

--
Rusty

VivienB wrote:
On Thu, 26 Nov 2009 23:26:18 +0000, Sacha wrote:

if they're halfway sensible,

You were previously talking about pheasants. 'Sensible' is not a
description that is commonly used for such beautiful, daft birds!

On the contrary - see my post ^ up there somewhere.

--
Rusty

On 2009-12-18 19:56:01 +0000, Rusty Hinge
said:

Sacha wrote:
On 2009-11-25 08:57:51 +0000, Aries said:

On Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:04:28 +0000, Sacha wrote:

We've had a cock pheasant on the lawn scrounging peanuts, just
recently. They're shameless!

Beautiful tho. I love seeing them but not when they're pinching my seeds !

Any veg we grow are for sale, so they're in pots in the greenhouses and
more in danger from stray mice, if any are around. I sometimes put out
sultanas for the pheasants, too and they get quite silly about them.

Especially if you soak them in sherry or brandy first...

Then they just get even sillier and fall over....
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon

On 2009-12-18 19:53:47 +0000, Rusty Hinge
said:

Sacha wrote:
On 2009-11-24 16:47:44 +0000, Aries said:

On Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:58:25 +0000, Broadback wrote:

Sowed a row of broad beans a couple of weeks ago lots of neat holes
along the row. Sowed the replacement beans in paraffin and resowed. At
the same time I placed three mouse traps baited with peanut butter. Went
down this am a few more holes along the bean row and all three traps
gone. going down the garden to the compost heap I found one trap about
15 meters from its original position and over a 4ft fence. Is it a
reasonable assumption to think that some bird/s of prey have snaffled
the dead mice and taken the traps with them?

I had most of my early broad beans dug up last year - but by squirrels ! and
also a cock pheasant!

We've had a cock pheasant on the lawn scrounging peanuts, just
recently. They're shameless!

The parent's house was surrounded by a shoot. There was one cock
pheasant which knew a thing or two: for several years, and only during
the season, at the sound of the first bang (a backfire worked just as
well!) he would head for their garden at zero altitude, hedge-hop, and
take refuge in the orchard. (Where of course, he was fed...)

You know, you could write a rather nice children's story about that,
Rusty - but he would have to live happily ever after, of course!
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon

Sacha wrote:
On 2009-12-18 19:53:47 +0000, Rusty Hinge
said:

Sacha wrote:
On 2009-11-24 16:47:44 +0000, Aries
said:

On Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:58:25 +0000, Broadback wrote:

Sowed a row of broad beans a couple of weeks ago lots of neat holes
along the row. Sowed the replacement beans in paraffin and resowed. At
the same time I placed three mouse traps baited with peanut butter.
Went
down this am a few more holes along the bean row and all three traps
gone. going down the garden to the compost heap I found one trap about
15 meters from its original position and over a 4ft fence. Is it a
reasonable assumption to think that some bird/s of prey have snaffled
the dead mice and taken the traps with them?

I had most of my early broad beans dug up last year - but by
squirrels ! and
also a cock pheasant!

We've had a cock pheasant on the lawn scrounging peanuts, just
recently. They're shameless!

The parent's house was surrounded by a shoot. There was one cock
pheasant which knew a thing or two: for several years, and only during
the season, at the sound of the first bang (a backfire worked just as
well!) he would head for their garden at zero altitude, hedge-hop, and
take refuge in the orchard. (Where of course, he was fed...)

You know, you could write a rather nice children's story about that,
Rusty - but he would have to live happily ever after, of course!

Well, he was around for at least three years, which fo a pheasant isn't
bad going, what with a fairly busy road nearby and two or three shoot
days a week.

And yes - it was the same bird...

--
Rusty

On 2009-12-19 20:37:06 +0000, Rusty Hinge
said:

Sacha wrote:
On 2009-12-18 19:53:47 +0000, Rusty Hinge
said:

Sacha wrote:
On 2009-11-24 16:47:44 +0000, Aries said:

On Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:58:25 +0000, Broadback wrote:

Sowed a row of broad beans a couple of weeks ago lots of neat holes
along the row. Sowed the replacement beans in paraffin and resowed. At
the same time I placed three mouse traps baited with peanut butter. Went
down this am a few more holes along the bean row and all three traps
gone. going down the garden to the compost heap I found one trap about
15 meters from its original position and over a 4ft fence. Is it a
reasonable assumption to think that some bird/s of prey have snaffled
the dead mice and taken the traps with them?

I had most of my early broad beans dug up last year - but by squirrels ! and
also a cock pheasant!

We've had a cock pheasant on the lawn scrounging peanuts, just
recently. They're shameless!

The parent's house was surrounded by a shoot. There was one cock
pheasant which knew a thing or two: for several years, and only during
the season, at the sound of the first bang (a backfire worked just as
well!) he would head for their garden at zero altitude, hedge-hop, and
take refuge in the orchard. (Where of course, he was fed...)

You know, you could write a rather nice children's story about that,
Rusty - but he would have to live happily ever after, of course!

Well, he was around for at least three years, which fo a pheasant isn't
bad going, what with a fairly busy road nearby and two or three shoot
days a week.

And yes - it was the same bird...

Rusty, let's collaborate on this. This Philip the Pheasant is going to
have to turn into a grandfather at the very least, teach young
pheasants about how to avoid people like you, etc. etc. 50/50 on the
royalties, okay?
--
Sacha

Sacha wrote:
On 2009-12-19 20:37:06 +0000, Rusty Hinge
said:

Sacha wrote:
On 2009-12-18 19:53:47 +0000, Rusty Hinge
said:

Sacha wrote:
On 2009-11-24 16:47:44 +0000, Aries
said:

On Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:58:25 +0000, Broadback wrote:

Sowed a row of broad beans a couple of weeks ago lots of neat holes
along the row. Sowed the replacement beans in paraffin and
resowed. At
the same time I placed three mouse traps baited with peanut
butter. Went
down this am a few more holes along the bean row and all three traps
gone. going down the garden to the compost heap I found one trap
about
15 meters from its original position and over a 4ft fence. Is it a
reasonable assumption to think that some bird/s of prey have
snaffled
the dead mice and taken the traps with them?

I had most of my early broad beans dug up last year - but by
squirrels ! and
also a cock pheasant!

We've had a cock pheasant on the lawn scrounging peanuts, just
recently. They're shameless!

The parent's house was surrounded by a shoot. There was one cock
pheasant which knew a thing or two: for several years, and only
during the season, at the sound of the first bang (a backfire worked
just as well!) he would head for their garden at zero altitude,
hedge-hop, and take refuge in the orchard. (Where of course, he was
fed...)

You know, you could write a rather nice children's story about that,
Rusty - but he would have to live happily ever after, of course!

Well, he was around for at least three years, which fo a pheasant
isn't bad going, what with a fairly busy road nearby and two or three
shoot days a week.

And yes - it was the same bird...

Rusty, let's collaborate on this. This Philip the Pheasant is going to
have to turn into a grandfather at the very least, teach young pheasants
about how to avoid people like you, etc. etc. 50/50 on the royalties,
okay?

What's your role, then? Publisher perhaps? (as a published author I
think I could cope with the scribbling innit)

--
Rusty

On 2009-12-20 15:44:52 +0000, Rusty Hinge
said:

Sacha wrote:
On 2009-12-19 20:37:06 +0000, Rusty Hinge
said:

Sacha wrote:
On 2009-12-18 19:53:47 +0000, Rusty Hinge
said:

Sacha wrote:
On 2009-11-24 16:47:44 +0000, Aries said:

On Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:58:25 +0000, Broadback wrote:

Sowed a row of broad beans a couple of weeks ago lots of neat holes
along the row. Sowed the replacement beans in paraffin and resowed. At
the same time I placed three mouse traps baited with peanut butter. Went
down this am a few more holes along the bean row and all three traps
gone. going down the garden to the compost heap I found one trap about
15 meters from its original position and over a 4ft fence. Is it a
reasonable assumption to think that some bird/s of prey have snaffled
the dead mice and taken the traps with them?

I had most of my early broad beans dug up last year - but by squirrels ! and
also a cock pheasant!

We've had a cock pheasant on the lawn scrounging peanuts, just
recently. They're shameless!

The parent's house was surrounded by a shoot. There was one cock
pheasant which knew a thing or two: for several years, and only during
the season, at the sound of the first bang (a backfire worked just as
well!) he would head for their garden at zero altitude, hedge-hop, and
take refuge in the orchard. (Where of course, he was fed...)

You know, you could write a rather nice children's story about that,
Rusty - but he would have to live happily ever after, of course!

Well, he was around for at least three years, which fo a pheasant isn't
bad going, what with a fairly busy road nearby and two or three shoot
days a week.

And yes - it was the same bird...

Rusty, let's collaborate on this. This Philip the Pheasant is going to
have to turn into a grandfather at the very least, teach young
pheasants about how to avoid people like you, etc. etc. 50/50 on the
royalties, okay?

What's your role, then? Publisher perhaps? (as a published author I
think I could cope with the scribbling innit)

Mere typist and occasional muse would rather suit me. ;-))
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon