Select a region
They were birds brought over to the Island around 200 years ago and hunted for sport but if they’ve become a big pest to farmers our now protected pheasants could become fair game again.
The birds, originally from Asia, can be found roaming all over the countryside and now a big survey is being carried out to find out what impact they are having on local agriculture and our wildlife.
Charmaine Rice, a research student from the University of Kent, is in the Island to carry out a one-year project for the Environment Department and the Jersey Biodiversity Centre. Her findings will be used to decide how pheasants should be managed in the future and what their legal status should be.
She said: “At the moment they are fully protected by law so you can’t harm them or disturb them but you can get a license to shoot them if they are being pests.
Charmaine said because they are not native to the Island they could be affecting local wildlife like lizards and toads and they want to get an idea of how many farmers are having a problem with them and what they might be doing to crops.
She said: “If they are being big pests we’d be looking at possibly getting that legal protected removed so that you could shoot them without getting a license.
“But if they are an asset and have been aiding birds of prey over the past few years as a food source, they will remain protected.”
Charmaine has started a six-week breeding survey and wants your help to find out how many pheasants there are, where they are living and what impact they are having. She'll start another six-week survey in May when the pheasants are laying and raising their chicks.
You can take part in the survey by completing this online questionnaire here or you can report your sightings of pheasants across the Island to the Jersey Biodiversity Centre here.
If you spot a dead pheasant, report it to Charmain at c.rice@gov.je or give her a ring on 077978 10987.
Picture credit: Mick Dryden
Comments
Comments on this story express the views of the commentator only, not Bailiwick Publishing. We are unable to guarantee the accuracy of any of those comments.