A hen pheasant surveys her surroundings following a late winter storm system that dropped more than a foot of heavy snow across the northern third of Iowa last Friday. Although the weather was not anymore welcomed by pheasants than it was by humans, bird populations enjoyed a fairly mild winter this year. Overall temperatures were above average while total accumulations of snowfall remained well below average. Earlier this winter, resident wildlife endured a somewhat prolonged period of ice cover that temporarily sealed away supplies of waste grain. Ever resourceful, wintering birds were able to switch to alternate foods such as weed seeds or standing bean pods that were missed during the fall harvest. Barring a catastrophic, late March weather event, statewide pheasant survival will be excellent for the winter of 2004-2005.

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