Gray Partridges in Regina, Saskatchewan

Yes, Gray Partridges in my Regina, Saskatchewan, front yard. This pair showed up mid-morning on a harshly-backlit, white-sky winter day, as part of their local garden tour — in from the country, browsing for food.

Not sure what these red-headed birds found in our snow drifts, though, other than the buried remnants of two frozen Christmas trees. Still, they made me smile. (I love the bouncing effect of the bird, front left, which has both of its feet off the ground.)

Gray Partridges, touring the neighbourhood. © SB

We usually see a Partridge or two on our street at least once every winter. Odd, though... Not in summer. And I've only once caught a glimpse of their chestnut-red or gray-brown feathers out in what I think should be their natural habitat (whatever that means to a bird), north of the city at the Condie Nature Refuge.

What are these? Gray Partridges.
Location: Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. 

Photo dates: March 16, 2013. 

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