Sights to bring cheer

There’s a tremendous thrill when you finally spy your quarry, especially when you’ve travelled several thousand miles in its pursuit. When I eventually managed to find a trio of cheer pheasants, feeding on a shaded hillside high in the Himalayas, I felt that wonderful rush of adrenaline that comes after a long, arduous and particularly difficult hunt.

I had enjoyed a similar sensation a few years before in a rainforest in Malaysia, when I last managed to see a great argus, another spectacular member of the pheasant family. Despite its size — it’s up to 200cm long — it is ridiculously difficult to see in its jungle home.

We are all familiar with the common, whose members include some of the most spectacular birds in the world. Many of them are severely endangered, usually due to loss of habitat coupled with uncontrolled hunting. No one has ever seen all 49 species in a wild state; to do so would be an extraordinary feat. Despite having travelled widely, I’ve only seen a handful of pheasant species.