The pheasants usually show up at the pond next to the campsite but the recent forest fires had altered their habitat and they haven't been seen at the pond for a few days. Another photographer tried the day before we arrived but never saw them. We tried for one morning but they didn't show up. I realised we have to go out there and find them. With the help of the staff at the campsite we surveyed a few places. Most likely they should be at the parts of the forest which survived the fires. Up on the hill above the campsite there was a feeding station where small worms had been put out for a while and I decided to give it a try. There had been a fixed hide here before but it was destroyed in the fires. I put my blind up and waited.

During the first hour a Rufous-gorgetted Flycatcher was seen regulary eating from the feeder and one of my favorite birds of all time, the Scaly Thrush, made an appearance. In my excitement I scared him off by moving too fast inside the blind. That's one shy and alert bird I say.
Late in the evening at around 6pm I heard some noise to my right and to my surprise a male Humes's Pheasant comes walking into the scene. He had been so quiet walking through the dry leafs almost without making any sound at all. Seeing this rare bird walking through the forest like this, in true habitat looking for food was really exciting and such a beautiful sight. He was walking right passed the feeding station and continued further without stopping. Either he hasn't found the worms or he doesn't eat worms. Anyway after a few meters he stops and starts feeding on the ground. I managed to grab a few frames which wasn't easy due to the low light. Using flash for such a magnificent and rare bird would be totally unthinkable for me. He didn't seem to notice my blind and the sound of the camera, which gives me hopes to pictrure him later in the future.

After feeding for a while he continued up the slope to the left but then he came back and was heading straight for my position. I could observe him through the window with the dark net and he came right up to the left corner just 3-4 meters away, absolutely amazing to see him feed so close up. What surprised me was his feeding technique. He whacked his bill straight down in the dry ground with great force sending the earth flying in all directions. Then he studied the ground and picked up anything edible. After whacking the ground a few times he gently lifted a leaf away, like you turn a page in a book, and again studied the ground for something to pick up. Quite different from Thrushes and Junglefowls and very interesting to see. I could turn the camera to try and picture him but I didn't risk scaring him, that would be the last thing I wanted. Next time though I'll bring a small handheld video which could be used to capture anything coming close to the blind.

After that treat he moved to my left, still quite close to the blind and was walking around for a while before moving further away. I'm quite convinced that he wasn't scared by my blind, if he ever noticed it. The whole scene lasted about 15 minutes.

The next morning we put both blinds at the same location but no pheasants showed up.

Though this isn't a great picture it made me realise how beautiful these birds are in soft light, bringing out the glossiness of their feathers. This is the light I want to capture them in.