Cocky olligarchsSince we arrived ten years ago the bird area has been increasingly dominated by a pair of visiting Pheasants: Cocky and Ollie known by the cognescenti as the Cocky Ollie Birds.
The original Cocky handed in his bird feeder three years ago-was found toes up, cold and stiff amongst the Hollyhocks. His bride of some years vanished and then may have returned with Ollie Mark Two-a shinier and more self confident exotic beast. Mind you it is difficult to tell one hen pheasant from another as they wear better than the males. Now after a period of fairly amiable confrontation Ollie Two has been seen off by the latest young Turk seen here strutting his stuff and eating his fill-when done simultaneously it must surely lead to severe indigestion. But now we suddenly have not one new Ollie as the latest consort but a veritable clutch of female attendants: an Olliegarch, in the jargon. Three in one of the images are hurrying away from the bird food to let their Lord and Master finish his Hors D'Oeuvres and Number Four lurking behind the 'autumn house'.
Perhaps Cocky has gone over to Islam?
Labels: Cocky, Hutton, Old Manse, Olly, Pheasants