Whitchurch-Stouffville Newspaper Index

Stouffville Tribune (Stouffville, ON), July 11, 1990, p. 11

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outdoors tribune july 11 1990 pll re- ii i artbriggsjude correspondent if there is one thing upon which fanners hunters rural residents and bird watchers unanimously agree it is that the ringnecked pheasant has all but disappeared from its former haunts in southern ontario first introduced into this province in 1890 the gaudy birds with the raucous calls were such desirable additions to the wildlife scene they were subsequently released as far north as thunder bay but while the more northern transplants dwindled and failed those in the counties south of lake simcoe gradual ly stabilized by 1935 ringnecked pheasants were not only firmly established to lake eries tobacco country and niagaras fruit belt they flourished all along- the north shore of lake ontario as well many people living north and east of kingston remem ber sizable pheasant populations as far north as the villages of crosby and newboro near the rideau lakes the cause for the general disappearance of this magnifi cent game bird in ontario is open to question it may well have had its roots in the early introductions from the ori ent often game breeders and pheasant fanciers intermixed their stock with more emphasis and priority put on appear ance rather than adaptability in fact the wildest birds often made the least productive breeders and were either culled out or killed themselves flying against- the wire when startled in the northern us wildlife biologists found the sur vival rate of the released ringnecked pheasants dropped dramatically when the hatching and rearing of pheasants under broody domestic hens was replaced with modern incubators the subsequent release of large numbers of these semi- domestic pheasants served only to water down the untamed traits of the existing wild birds though hunting pressure has been fingered as one of the main reasons for the pheasants decline the birds also dis appeared in many areas where not shooting was permitted theres no doubt that the loss of good pheasant habitat in some areas and the changing agricultural practices in most places have not been conducive to ringnecked pheasant survival it is interesting tonote that the 19101911 ontario game and fisheries commission were congratulatory in their review of the successful introduction of these popular birds to this province today however the ministry of natural resources do not feel there is any future in pheasant inventories has never had a pheasant management plan with defined objec tives and no formal studies have been undertaken to deter mine real reasons for this splendid game birds demise blair dawson a former mnr central region biologist from richmond hill makes no bones about the fact little was done to slow thepheasants decline in this province one bright side to this otherwise sad tale occurred in the early 1980s at that time hybrid european blacknecked pheasants were released near cambridge ont a much darker bird without the familiar white ring they frequent the wood lands more than their upland counterparts to date a small but persistent population of these so- called blacknecks is thriving near the initial release point and also in some of the more wooded ravines of toronto in a further bid to return the pheasant to some of its for mer status the westport area outdoor association is involved in a longrange reintroduction program going back to basics by using domestic chickens as brood mothers some two dozen club members hatch and release a brood or two of pheasants every year on their individual rural properties reared under the guidance of a mother hen these young poults are familiar with their immediate surroundings and at eight to nine weeks of age are allowed to wander off one day in a gentle release that- is far superior to the conven tional drop planting method now into its third year this unique reintroduction pro gram is already showing some positive results in the area between crowe lake and portland pheasants are being reported where they havent been seen in several decades better than that many previous years birds are raising natural broods in the wild with the continued cooperation of local residents and those visiting the area the future of this magnificent game bird is becoming brighter with each passing season im appreciation wed july 18th deadline friday july 13th call for information susan 6402100 karen 8529741 we against the wall at newmarket honda the smile on the face of a new car owner can speak volumes about the joy of driving one of the worlds most loved automobiles but it also says something about the care and con cern shown by newmarket hondas salespeople and how they make buying a honda such a joy in itself and because your smile means as much to us as it does to you we hang a picture of every satisfied new car owner on our wall of fame its our way of saying welcome to the family

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