A cool and soggy day, even the cats want to be inside, as cozily curled up as possible. Unusual but much appreciated, the fog is turning into a bit of a drizzle, and maybe even a dusting of snow on the top of the nearby mountain, invisible in today's view.
The neighbor called; two unusuals in her yard. I headed over with binocs and camera, and got a good look and an ID on this guy, probably the gallinaceous pair I saw
near the mailbox on Tuesday. I was unable to capture a picture of these striking birds together.
Here's what I thought was the male, giving me the evil eye. (Sexes are pretty much identical, as far as I could tell.) Any ideas on ID?
The answer is now clear. More details later!
A cool and soggy day, even the cats want to be inside, as cozily curled up as possible. Unusual but much appreciated, the fog is turning into a bit of a drizzle, and maybe even a dusting of snow on the top of the nearby mountain, invisible in today's view.
The neighbor called; two unusuals in her yard. I headed over with binocs and camera, and got a good look and an ID on this guy, probably the gallinaceous pair I saw near the mailbox on Tuesday. I was unable to capture a picture of these striking birds together.
Here's what I thought was the male, giving me the evil eye. (Sexes are pretty much identical, as far as I could tell.) Any ideas on ID? 
The answer is now clear. More details later!
3 comments:
We have Chukars over here too. They're really common on- you'll never guess- Antelope Island, in the middle of the Great Salt Lake.
Your post prompted me to read the Wikipedia entry. National bird of Pakistan- who knew?
Well, we don't, as far as I've ever known, have them HERE! It looks to me (from range maps as well as habitat info) like they're more common out your way. And western Colorado... I'm thinking someone planted these two recently, but am still checking.
Or I could order some chicks to hang out with my chickens! [grin]
What a striking species! We had never seen such a thing, and at first thought it must be an escaped domestic of some kind. But there it is in wikipedia and right there in our Sibley's. Not in your area, you say? So perhaps it did indeed escape from a game farm? The wikipedia article noted that they are hunted, but didn't specify whether they are ever farm-bred.
Thanks for introducing us to a new species!
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