To the editor:

At some time during the fall, pheasants were released in the Simmons Mill Ponds for hunters. (According to Peterson they were introduced from Eurasia and are not indigenous). One cock decided it was too dangerous to stay there and made the mile long flight to my back forty, where I saw him fly over the whole field in one fell swoop. Since then I have seen him walking sedately on my back lawn, sometimes accompanied by two wives. The other day, just by luck, I looked out and there he was, and as my little spaniel was absent on a play date, the house was very quiet and the pheasant undisturbed. I watched him turn a corner and for the first time I was able to see his tail, which truly was in the shape of a Y as shown in my field guide and round patches of different colored feathers polkadotted with little white feathers.

The raccoon has been out of sight and even the Blue Jays quelled as corners of the feeder were cut off, leaving them no place to perch. Now they have to feed on the ground just like the little sparrows. There were just dozens of birds braving the wind and blowing snow as they too fed on fallen seeds during our recent storm.

I had never thought about what the perky little Carolina Wrens ate, certainly not black oil seed, but there to my delight was a pair of them at the big feeder this morning.

The days are definitely longer, sun is setting almost at five. And we should also be thankful that the snow, although there was a lot, wasn’t the wet kind that brings down branches and trees and causes road blocks.

I hope that you too will see something or someone to gladden your heart.

Sidney Tynan

Little Compton