Definitely not a pleasant day for pheasants

NEXT Monday is November 1 and it will be a noisy day in the countryside.

The night-time barrage of Halloween fireworks will be followed by a daytime barrage of shotgun fire because November 1 is the opening day of the pheasant shooting season.

The pheasant is one of a small number of bird species that everyone recognises. I suppose some people might be confused by the smaller and drabber female bird, but a cock pheasant with its long tail and brightly coloured plumage is unmistakable. However, this common countryside bird is not an Irish native.