iN PHOTOS: Lake Country photographer gets memorable moment with ring-necked pheasant

Lake Country outdoorsman Cory Jmaeff had front row seats to a ring-necked pheasant calling and doing a dance a couple of days ago, a local species he hadn’t yet been successful in photographing.

Jmaeff was working at a storage yard in the small city when he looked out the window and spotted the brightly coloured bird on top of a small hill, then quickly ran to grab his camera and hopped into his truck.

“He didn’t seem scared at all which is weird for pheasant,” he said. “He was calling and dancing a bit so I figured he was looking for a female. I got out of my truck with him watching the whole time and figured I’d try my luck at getting closer.”

Jmaeff said he walked up the hill on an angle a distance away in an effort to not intimidate the bird. He sat down in the wet grass and mud and put the camera up to his face and quietly waited.

“The pheasant proceeded to make some calls, flap his wings and slowly walk toward me, I was quite shocked,” Jmaeff said. “Then my camera battery started flashing so I was being very selective on timing photos as I knew there wasn’t much time before it died.”

Ring-necked pheasants are large, chicken-like birds with long pointed tails that live in open fields and weedy roadsides in the United States and southern Canada where they eat grain, seeds and insects, according to All About Birds.

The males have dazzling iridescent plumage, red faces and white collars, and rooster-like calls that can be heard from long distances away, while the brown females blend easily into their habitat.

At this time of year, the males are attracting females by performing calling and wing-flapping displays in open areas. Often one male will defensively keep other males away from a small group of females during the breeding season.

Members of the grouse family, the birds typically walk or run instead of flying, but will flap speedily into the air when disturbed.

Jmaeff was able to observe the male bird up close without disturbing it, and capture the moments when it called, flapped and danced.

“I was blessed to get these pictures and a moment I won’t forget on the hill with that beautiful bird,” Jmaeff said.

Go here to see more of Jmaeff’s wildlife photography.