Linda,

Your post with the picture of an Asian Silver Pheasant reminded me of my experience with a female Asian Silver Pheasant. She showed up in my neighborhood about fifteen years ago and stayed with us for 4 years. She seemed tame and was probably an escapee from somewhere. Everyone fed her and watched out for her. A neighbor named her Greta when they mistakenly thought that she was some kind of strange grouse and the name stuck. Greta liked sunflower chips, corn, peanuts, fruit and bread. She would make a cooing sound when you fed her and would give a banshee scream when she saw a predator.

She knew friend from foe and would sit on the deck with my dog and even tolerate my cat when I took him out for a walk on a leash. However, she would scream like a banshee if an unknown cat approached and one morning my neighbor saw her chasing a coyote who was on the run with his tail between his legs.

I think she was lonely as she spent a lot of time looking at her reflection in my sliding glass door. Sometimes at the neighbor?s house, she would watch TV through their back window.

Every spring she would disappear for about 4 to 6 weeks. We thought that she went off looking for a mate and not finding one she probably made a nest, laid eggs, and sat on them until they disintegrated. She would then reappear thin, thirsty, and hungry.

One spring day a neighbor found a pile of Greta's feathers on ground, so a predator of some kind must have gotten her. We frequently have coyotes and bobcats. She lived in the neighborhood and had her freedom for 4 years. She also had lots of friends, people and otherwise as she liked to hang out with my dog, the ducks, and crows. She was a really cool bird and I miss her.

I may have told this story on tweeters before. If so please forgive me. The picture brought back a lot of fond memories!

Diane Weinstein
Issaquah
From: Linda Phillips
Sent: Tuesday, September 29, 2015 8:15 PM
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Subject: [Tweeters] ID Help

Today I added species #113 to my Wallace Swamp Creek Park (19851 73rd Ave. NE Kenmore) list. The only problem is I'm not sure what it is.

Napping on a log in the middle of the sediment pond was a shore bird. I think it is a dowitcher, I'm leaning toward Long-billed but I'd like a second opinion.

Pictures can be seen at https://www.flickr.com/photos/88699795 at N03/

While you're there see if you can identify the pheasant. Shortly after last month's storm a female pheasant joined my friend's back yard chicken flock. Any suggestions as to what it is? We speculate that someone nearby has a collection of exotic birds and one escaped during the storm.

Linda Phillips

Kenmore







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