I was at it again — on the hunt.

The call came in late Monday afternoon from our friends, the Heidebrechts — “There’s a doe near the creek bed north of Main Street, behind the former Craft Cottage.”

I grabbed a camera and took off for the site.

My cell phone rang as I was getting out of the car. It was Jean at the office. The Heidebrechts had called and said the deer got up and ran to the park.

So, I changed directions and headed to Central Park.

I figured the deer was tired and was resting in the creek bed — probably running from a buck or hunters. Since the doe was tired, maybe she was thirsty. I could hear water running in the springs. Sure enough. There she was — getting a drink.

Unfortunately, it was just dark enough and the photos didn’t turn out but it was an awesome sight — a beautiful, young doe drinking from a pool of water. She raised her head, looked me square in the eye, and jumped on the ledge above the springs. She stopped long enough to take another look at me before she skipped away with the white underside of her tail waving bye to me.

This time of year shows nature in all her glory.

The weather is changing with winter moving in. The animals have winter coats and are extremely alert to sounds and movement. The air is cold and thick with humidity.

Residents awoke Tuesday morning and saw several inches of snow and ice on the ground.

This weather presents challenges but we have to admit — it is beautiful.

Judging from the number of deer vs. vehicle accidents on this week’s court page, there’s a lot of “nature” on our roads, so be careful.

And I’m still taking nature calls. Call me and I will try to track down whatever critter you report.

— susan berg