Under glass

Over the past several days it felt as though the area was inside an unsettled snow globe. 

The glass ball was then placed in a freezer.

However, Mother Nature decided to shake things up a bit this week.

​Rain and warmer temperatures were in the forecast for most of the week. ​

Nonetheless, many folks and Facebook users lamented the blowing snow and cold. 

The winds were definitely brutal.  This was apparent when trying to walk across any open area recently.

​The dogs, goat and I would watch as mini snow tornadoes would whip up and cover our path from the day before.

​In fact, the activity was so great that a trail camera's motion censor was triggered by a wintry blast. 

The trail cameras also picked up on what the wild critters had to endure in terms of cold and blowing snow. 

I felt a little guilty watching the deer maneuver through the winter weather from the comfort of my home.

However, they continually trashed my bird feeders in search of food. Photos showed they have no remorse for their actions. 

I added a deer feeder in the back yard to keep the hoofed animals out of the winged animals' food.

This may have backfired on me and created more of a draw.

​However, a couple of interesting bucks have appeared on camera.

One who I called "Half-rack", because he only has one side with an antler. This was possibly due to fighting during the rut.

​He has been hanging out with the several does as of late.

​I caught him and a doe bedded down on one of our forays into the frozen wilderness.

​I managed to get a good photo of the doe he was with, but a clear photo of him eluded me.

Additionally, the picture of the doe showed her with her mouth open.

​I was not sure if she was chewing her cud or going to scold us for pestering them. 

As far as a somewhat clear photo of Half-rack, I have relied on the trail camera for the time being.
​Also caught on camera was a smaller buck with atypical horns. I have dubbed him "Spatula" due to the shape of this one antler. Technically, the horn appeared to look more like a wooden spoon. However, Spatula was a catchier moniker. 

Of course, the cameras never fail to capture several Kennedy close-ups as the curious goat "inspected" the devices. In fact, I had to move one camera out of his reach as he kept ejecting the batteries from it. I got tired of looking for eight double AAs on the forest floor. 

Meanwhile back at the bird feeder, a colorful guest arrived. For several days, a male ring-necked pheasant has made appearances in the yard.

He would usually show up before I arrived home and then would vacate the premises as soon as my garage door closed. 

​However, one sunny day, I was able to quietly open the sliding glass doors and snap a photo. The sunlight and reflecting snow really helped show off his beautiful hues. I found it interesting that the pheasant was not native to the region. ​

"The ring-necked pheasant is an import, ....  it hasn't become a pest.

In fact, this Asian native has proven to be a fine member of North America's wildlife community.

The ring-necked pheasant is the hunter's bird—imported, stocked and transferred to suitable habitat throughout the nation by wildlife departments.

Today, the ring-necked pheasant benefits us all, providing in-the-field enjoyment to hunters, birdwatchers and nature lovers of all types," said a Wildlife Note the Pennsylvania Game Commission's website. 

The post went on to say that the state's pheasant population peaked in the early 1970s.
​
"The annual pheasant harvest has declined from 1.3 million to about 110,000 birds. During its heyday, wild pheasants numbered in the millions and accounted for a majority of the harvest. As the '70s progressed, however, the pheasant population declined and, today, pheasant hunting is largely sustained by stocked birds," the commission posted.

Nonetheless as the sunlight illuminated the pheasant's feathers, it definitely brightened up photos of a winter wonderland.

​From delicate ice formations to snow formations, the light warmed the scenes, even if sun didn't do much to increase the temperatures. 

The past weather pattern certainly created a winter wonderland.

While the temperatures were brisk, as a pet owner I was extremely grateful for frozen ground and a reduction in muddy pawprints.

​That's just the nature of things 'round here.