Pheasant - 1949

Introduced from Ireland about 1586 according to Geo Owen.  Later it became a common resident.  Mathew says it "thrives remarkably well".  It is now much scacer, due to losses in gin graps used by rabbit catchers.  A few breed on Skomer, maintaining their numbers possibly by accretions from the mainland, as it has been seen to fly across Jack sound.

R.M.Lockley, G.C.S.Ingram, H.M.Salmon, 1949, The Birds of Pembrokeshire, The West Wales Field Society 

Pheasant - 2003-07

The Pheasant is an Oriental species which was introduced into Pembrokeshire about 1586, and has since naturalised. Considerable numbers are reared and released each year for shooting purposes and this has been the case for many years. Some have survived the shooting seasons to breed in a wild state and this is the population which the local surveys have attempted to assess.

The 2003-07 survey found there had been a 21% increase in distribution since 1984-88, suggesting there were about 1,630 nests by the end of 2007 compared to 1,350 in 1988, using the mean of the estimate ranges. This is expressed as nests rather than pairs as male Pheasants habitually have several mates. They were absent from the higher parts of the Preseli Hills during both surveys.

Introduced to the islands of Skomer and Caldey, they were found there during both surveys.  They possibly bred on Ramsey during the 1984- 88 period, having presumably reached it unaided, but were not recorded there in 2003-07.

Graham Rees

Fieldwork 2003-07 (based on 490 tetrads)

Red = breeding confirmed = 29

Orange = breeding probable = 225

Yellow = breeding possible = 54

Total tetrads in which registered = 308 (62.9%)

Pheasant - 1994

Breeding resident

The Pheasant was introduced from Ireland, probably by Sir John Perott, during the sixteenth century, in about 1586 according to George Owen. Mathew (1894) said it "thrives remarkably well in Pembrokeshire" while it was a common resident to Lockley et al. (1949).

Shooting interests release considerable numbers each year, some of which survive and have built into a sparse but widespread free breeding population. Ignoring those in rearing pens, and estimating an average breeding density of five to six nests per tetrad, the population in Pembrokeshire probably produces 1,200-1,500 nests each year. Pheasants also nest on the islands of Caldey and Skomer, having been introduced; however, these populations may have been augmented by birds flying from the mainland, for they also occur on Ramsey where there is no record of any introduction.

Fieldwork 1984-88 (based on 478 tetrads)

Red = breeding confirmed = 63

Orange = breeding probable = 103

Yellow = breeding possible = 88

Total tetrads in which registered = 254 (53.1%)

Donovan J.W. & Rees G.H (1994), Birds of Pembrokeshire

Pheasant - 1970s breeding

Red = breeding confirmed

Orange = breeding probable

Yellow = breeding possible

Pheasant - 1980s winter atlas

The BTO winter atlas showed that Pheasants were present in most 10km squares during the winters of 1981-82, 1982-82 and 1983-84.

The darker the colour, the higher the relative total count for each 10km square.  The darkest blue represents over 9-33 birds seen in a day. Releases of birds reared for shooting varies year by year, so the map represents a snapshot limited to the winters in which the survey was conducted.

Graham Rees

Pheasant - 1894

Species account from M Mathew, 1894, "The Birds of Pembrokeshire and its islands"

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