Do you know... a group of pheasants is called a nye or nide? More specifically, this word describes several pheasants on the ground. A family group of pheasants with chicks is called a brood, and a group of pheasants in flight is called a bouquet.
Last year, I adopted several Golden pheasants from the Animal Nation Farm Sanctuary in nearby South Salem, New York, a caring organization and go-to resource for at-risk animals from New York City and the surrounding areas. Earlier this month, I purchased a pair of peach Golden pheasants from the Northeastern Poultry Congress in Massachusetts. These latest additions took a few days to acclimate to my farm, but they're now venturing outside their coop and enjoying time with their new friends.
Enjoy these photos.
This coop just outside my stable is currently designated for birds that are new to my farm as well as my Golden pheasants. It is heated and has doors on both the front and back for easy access to the outdoors.
Last year, I got these Golden Pheasants – one red and one yellow. These are both males and get along very well.
The red male has a golden-yellow crest with a hint of red at the tip. The face, throat, chin, and the sides of neck are rusty tan. The red Golden pheasant also has a layered cape of golden feathers – each layer edged in black.
The upper back is green, its body is largely scarlet red, and the rest of the back and rump is golden-yellow.
This summer, I acquired two female Golden pheasants. Their colors are more subdued showing a mottled brown all over the body.
These females are smaller and lighter than the males, and have shorter tails.
But my latest pair is this one – peach Golden pheasants, strikingly rare in their coloration. The one on the left is the male, or cock, and the one on the right is a female, or hen.
Males have a lot of white set off by a light, shiny golden breast and body and a full peachy ruff.
Females are more toned down in coloring and are mostly white with some tan splotches.
Both the male and female have only been at my farm for a little more than a week, but they’re already outside exploring their enclosure.
All Golden pheasants communicate with a variety of calls used in different situations.
They also prefer to run rather than fly and can reach speeds of up to 45 miles per hour if necessary to escape danger.
Pheasants are very curious and alert.
They are also hardy, very intelligent, and friendly.
Golden Pheasants also have excellent vision because of additional cone cells in their retinas. While humans have three types of cones enabling the recognition of reds, blues, and greens, Golden pheasants have four – they are sensitive to ultraviolet light, a range invisible to the human eye.
The pheasants enjoy watching the farm activity. Being near my stable, they get lots of visitors.
They enjoy perching on their ladders, which are made right here from felled trees.
They also like to go into their natural made shelters. This is one of two in the enclosure, made out of branches and twigs.
All my outdoor birds get a good supply of seeds. Pheasants also eat insects, berries, and plant matter.
And of course, there is always fresh water – checked and changed often to ensure it is always clean and free-flowing. This time of year, it is not unusual to see the troughs frozen.
Golden pheasants are small, but stunning, weighing up to two pounds when fully mature. I know they’ll be very happy here with the rest of their nye.
I always enjoy visiting local shops whenever I can. It's important to support small businesses, meet the entrepreneurs who own them, and learn about their specialties.
One of my frequent stops is Mast Market & Cafe, now in Bedford, New York - just minutes from my farm. Mast is a combination eatery and organic grocery co-founded by brothers, Rick and Michael Mast. The shop includes a coffee bar; a food counter serving breakfast, lunch, dinner, and desserts; a section for local farm fresh fruits, vegetables, and dairy products; and a large variety of pantry staples including their own artisanal chocolates and homemade spreads and condiments.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Mast opened in Bedford last October. It had previously been located in nearby Mt. Kisco, but due to a fire in 2023, it reopened here.
This new establishment offers menu items for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. On this day, lunch was warm soups and stews.
Baked goods include a selection of cookies and cakes made fresh daily.
… And there is also a warm beverage bar that offers a variety of coffees, teas, and hot chocolate.
Mast is also proud to offer its delicious organic chocolate made from simple, sustainable ingredients, and ethical sourcing. It is the same thoughtfully-made chocolate sold at Mast’s previous locations.
The Mast brothers have been selling their own chocolate since 2007. The cocoa bean is the primary ingredient in chocolate. Cocoa beans, or cacao beans, come from the Theobroma cacao tree – a fruit tree, whose name means “food of the gods”. The cacao beans, which are technically seeds, grow inside pods surrounded by a white fleshy pulp known as baba.
Mast chocolate bar flavors include dark chocolate, milk chocolate, almond butter chocolate, sea salt chocolate, oat milk chocolate, and others.
They are available in single bars as well as gift boxes – don’t forget, Valentine’s Day is just weeks away.
Mast also offers its own homemade line of spreads and condiments.
The peach jam is made from hand-picked, sun-ripened peaches.
There is also blueberry jam made with just blueberries, organic cane sugar, lime juice, and pectin.
And this is Mast’s artisanal classic Tomato Ketchup made with vine-ripened tomatoes in small batches.
On this wall, Mast lists the local farmers that provide the products sold and used.
Here’s a selection of fresh, organically grown fruits from a nearby farm.
And farm fresh milk, packaged in recyclable glass bottles.
Several aisles of pantry items and grab-and-go snacks fill the shelves.
There are also non-alcoholic beverages.
… And specialty olive oils and vinegars – all ethically sourced.
In this corner, a pleasant, light and airy dining area for guests.
If you’re ever in or around the Westchester area, I encourage you to make a stop at Mast Market & Cafe. You’ll be glad you did.
Another interesting building project is underway at my farm.
In a back corner of my farm, I have a small woodworking shop, a dedicated space where I store and use some of the equipment and tools needed for various building tasks. For the last several weeks, carpentry master Dmitri Logvinski of Logvinski Construction LLC, has been working there to create beautifully carved cedar rafter tails, or tailpieces, for an upcoming pergola restoration project. So far he's hand cut about 80 pieces - all based on a design I conceived and drew.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Up in the loft of my workshop are all the finished rafter tails. Rafter tails are also called outlookers, outriggers, lookouts, or tailpieces. They are the decorative edges where the rafters cantilever outside a pergola’s frame.
The beautiful 13-foot wooden boards I’m using are from Medford Cedar Products in Southampton, New Jersey.
Dmitri works in pairs. Here are two undone pieces of timber on the workbench.
First, Dmitri measures out the wood and determines how much to cut off at one or both ends.
Some of that decision depends on the board’s visible knots. These areas are much harder to cut through than the rest of the wood and are best left avoided if possible.
Dmitri draws the design at the end of the piece of wood using a template.
I designed this tail myself and drew it out for Dmitri. He and I agreed it was the best look for our project.
Dmitri uses a Skilsaw, or handheld power circular saw, to cut the extraneous wood off.
Then he uses a jigsaw to cut out the design. A jigsaw is another handheld power tool that cuts curves, shapes and lines in wood metal, plastic or ceramic.
Dmitri has a very steady hand. Notice he also holds the end of a vacuum hose, so the dust created is contained right away.
Any leftover pieces are saved for other projects – any ideas?
This is the wood after it is cut, but it is not done yet.
Here, Dmitri uses a belt sander to smooth out the widest areas of the wood.
He also sands down the edges. A belt sander is good for aggressively shaping and finishing the wood. It uses an electric motor and a continuous loop of sandpaper to smooth out the surfaces.
A finer sander is used next to get into smaller crevices.
Here is the tail after it’s been sanded with the portable tools.
Dmitri then uses a sanding sponge, which is a foam block wrapped with fine sandpaper. He goes over the edges again by hand to make it even smoother.
And then finally, he sands down the area with sandpaper.
Dmitri does the same process for both sides of each board. It takes time and precision to get them all complete, but each one comes out perfectly.
And here is Dmitri with one of the finished products. And it’s just the beginning. In future blogs, I’ll share the building process. Be sure to stay tuned.
Fine craftsmanship is art. It involves manual dexterity, technical knowledge, and a passion for the job. Take time to appreciate the craftspeople in your area. Thanks, Dmitri.
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