gobirding.eu Birding Diary: Tenebrosus x Reeves's hybrid, other Pheasants and a flat tyre

Didn't fancy Burnham Overy in strong cold northerlies so Dave and I headed to the Brecks instead. Had a look for the Reeves's x Common Pheasant hybrid that I'd seen before at Threxton Hill first. It was there on cue:

Reeves's Pheasant x Common Pheasant hybrid, Threxton Hill, 21st March

Across the road was this female tenebrosus Pheasant:

Pheasant (var. tenebrosus), Threxton Hill, 21st March

Recently Keiran had seen a weird Pheasant in this area that sounded like might be another Reeves's Pheasant hybrid but involving a tenebrosus variant. I've been keeping an eye out for it with no success, but today, in the same copse that the above hybrid frequents - indeed displaying on the very same log as that bird was displaying on when I first saw it in 2012 - was a dark, long-tailed pheasant. Presumably indeed a Reeves's x tenebrosus Pheasant hybrid!

presumed Reeves's Pheasant x Common Pheasant (var. tenebrosus) hybrid, Threxton Hill, 21st March

Nearby at the Arms another tenebrosus Pheasant posed briefly for the camera:

Pheasant (var. tenebrosus), The Arms, 21st March

Near Bodney the birding ground to a halt, literally, thanks to a flat tyre. The fleet car operator asked if the car was driveable so I said no. I was a little surprised when he offered to send someone to fix it on Monday! His second attempt was slightly better but three hours wait wasn't really the answer I was looking for either. Eventually I got through to someone else who, eventually, managed to find an RAC operator who was only 40 minutes away. We had a wander down the road towards STANTA while we waited, hoping to find Stone-Curlews but only managing a pair of ordinary Curlews.

Tyre fixed we decided to have another look to see if the hybrid had emerged from its cover. It was still in the copse but then headed into the open across an adjacent garden. Unfortunately that meant watching and photographing it through the bars of a gate.

presumed Reeves's Pheasant x Common Pheasant (var. tenebrosus) hybrid, Threxton Hill, 21st March

Two Green Woodpeckers were near The Arms and a flock of around a dozen Bramblings near Great Cressingham.

Green Woodpecker, The Arms, 21st March

The male Pheasants are getting a bit confrontational now, though the "fights" we observed today seemed to involve mainly posturing and not much combat.