There are a couple of ‘exotic’ Pheasant species on the British list, in addition to the regular one seen in our countryside – and butcher’s shop windows! They are the rather grandly named Lady Amherst’s Pheasant, believed to have become established as a self-sustaining population in the 1900’s, along the Greensand ridge in Bedfordshire – having been released for shooting on the Woburn estate and Golden Pheasant, favouring pine woods with dense rhododendron under storey, with it’s traditional strongholds in Norfolk, Anglesey and South West Scotland. In recent years the populations of both Lady A’s and Golden are believed to have dwindled to single figures, with perhaps only a couple of ‘tickable’ individuals now surviving in the wild.

We managed to catchup with this male Golden Pheasant at the well known site in North Norfolk this morning. Arguably the rarest wild resident bird in Britain!

With two new species added to the year list over the weekend I’m now within dribbling distance of the ultimate prize of 300. What will the next couple of weeks bring and what interesting/rare species will take me to that total? Watch this space…