Now, before you get all excited you should know: this is about wild turkeys…not whiskey.
There is a gang of wild turkeys that roams our farm in the winter. Sometimes, they get close to the house. This morning they were right outside my window. My relationship with these birds is tenuous at best. They have keen eyesight and an acute sense of hearing. Any noise or movement causes them to flutter, fly and regroup at a safe distance.
Research on the internet will tell you their feathers are brightly colored; they eat berries & nuts; their eggs are a light speckled brown; they nest in trees; etc. All the usual things you think you want to know. Here’s what I’ve learned about wild turkeys:
They make a huge racket in the morning when they fly out of the trees. When in-flight they are relatively quiet. It’s the hoisting of their bodies out of the trees that creates the noise. Stretching legs, putt-putting to signal take-off, and unorganized feathers creates the ruckus.
In winter they travel in select groups. The jakes (young males) wander together keeping their tails low so they look unassuming. The toms (mating age males) travel with the girls that don’t have young kids. If I see 3 toms, I see 20 females. Quite the harems around here. The toms linger at the edge of the group while the females search out food and determine the direction the group travels. There is also a group of females wandering around with their mostly grown kids. Someone has to watch them.
These groups have regular travel patterns. One group wanders from the west pasture along the waterway to reach the corn box. There’s usually a good snack there. Then they wander to the north field and up to the group of trees there. The trees offer cover, are open to sun from the south and include a small stream. Another group wanders below the house to the watering hole under a couple of trees in the pasture. It’s always good for a drink or two. Then they venture up to the corn crib. Yet another great snack location. Then they’re off to the corn maze field and wherever.
Oh, and it’s always amazing to see them right outside the window…
There is a gang of wild turkeys that roams our farm in the winter. Sometimes, they get close to the house. This morning they were right outside my window. My relationship with these birds is tenuous at best. They have keen eyesight and an acute sense of hearing. Any noise or movement causes them to flutter, fly and regroup at a safe distance.
Research on the internet will tell you their feathers are brightly colored; they eat berries & nuts; their eggs are a light speckled brown; they nest in trees; etc. All the usual things you think you want to know. Here’s what I’ve learned about wild turkeys:
They make a huge racket in the morning when they fly out of the trees. When in-flight they are relatively quiet. It’s the hoisting of their bodies out of the trees that creates the noise. Stretching legs, putt-putting to signal take-off, and unorganized feathers creates the ruckus.
In winter they travel in select groups. The jakes (young males) wander together keeping their tails low so they look unassuming. The toms (mating age males) travel with the girls that don’t have young kids. If I see 3 toms, I see 20 females. Quite the harems around here. The toms linger at the edge of the group while the females search out food and determine the direction the group travels. There is also a group of females wandering around with their mostly grown kids. Someone has to watch them.
These groups have regular travel patterns. One group wanders from the west pasture along the waterway to reach the corn box. There’s usually a good snack there. Then they wander to the north field and up to the group of trees there. The trees offer cover, are open to sun from the south and include a small stream. Another group wanders below the house to the watering hole under a couple of trees in the pasture. It’s always good for a drink or two. Then they venture up to the corn crib. Yet another great snack location. Then they’re off to the corn maze field and wherever.
Oh, and it’s always amazing to see them right outside the window…
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