Above: the week between Christmas and New Year is characterised by gunshots going off in the fields around the house. About twenty or so Barbour-clad men in flat caps walk around with shotguns (including walking up the lane shooting from the verge, which I thought was illegal). Pheasants crouch in the undergrowth of the North Field hoping to remain unnoticed (or come into the garden where they are safe).
Above: I think these are ptarmigan running for cover. One of the shooting party said they have such small brains they don't know what is happening to them. They know enough to run when they see the townie solicitors, opticians and accountants dressed up in tweeds for a day out in the country.
Above: those who don't run fast enough end up in the cooking pot. You need to "hang" them until they are ready - in winter this can be as long as three weeks. At least these birds have experienced life in the wild (unlike factory farmed food).
Above: although pheasants are not native to England (they were brought here by the Romans) they have entered the national culture in terms of cuisine, folklore, art etc. I saw these two bronze pheasants in a junk shop that specialised in house clearances. Pheasants also feature in the paintings of Thorburn - one of our greatest wildlife artists.
More on Thorburn: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archibald_Thorburn
Article in The Independent: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/exposed-the-cruel-rearing-of-game-birds-1029894.html
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