Spring is here? (Oops, it's gone again)

I've been really busy the past few days, so I felt really happy when the weather started to get warmer. In fact, this morning was so warm, the air was so fresh and clear, and the view of Mt. Tsukuba was so nice, that I was in a great mood by the time I got to work :)

And yesterday had another hint of spring - in the morning I heard "Ken, ken, ken", the harsh cries of a male pheasant. (The other sound they make is kind of like "took took took"!) I don't know why, but the male near my house always cries in a group of 3 notes! And I don't know if it is the male or female or both that go "took" but they do it for quite a long time. Pheasant conversation perhaps???

They are quite shy birds and while I hear them, I rarely glimpse them. But yesterday I saw one right across from my house - it seemed to be looking for worms or something near a bamboo grove, and quickly darted into the undergrowth when I approached. I am not sure what it was because it wasn't an adult male, nor an adult female. My guess is it was one of the 3 babies that were around last year and that it is a juvenile male.

The father bird is really beautiful (I saw him once last spring) but the mother is a boring brown color. Sorry, I'm not good at birdwatching (I don't like waiting around, nor lurking in bushes waiting for birds to appear) so I couldn't get my own picture. This picture is one I found from the Internet. And the link will let you listen to the cries of a male bird. http://www.ne.jp/asahi/qpon/b/tori/kiji/kiji_wav.htm

Anyway, after this nice burst of spring, it has suddenly become colder and now this evening is back to winter. Ah, I guess I'll have to wait another month or two for really nice days.