Wild turkeys pass through our property regularly. We have been seeing this group since the youngsters were just a little bigger than egg sized. This is the first time the mothers have brought them this close.
Pardon the not-so-great pics. I had to shoot them through the kitchen window.
Here is the group finding dropped seeds under the bird feeder. Also to the right - crows cooling of at the birdbath and to the left you will see a big bunny. Usually there are squirrels around the feeder too but in this case the turkeys bullied them away.
Hey wait - did you ladies just want the bath to yourselves? (no they were definitely keeping an eye on something on the roof or in the sky)This message has been edited. Last edited by: jeepdarla,
Oh, those are great pics! Wish we would get some but I'm afraid our cats wouldn't let them stay long. I see some feeding in a field down the road a ways every not/then.
"The soil is the source of life, creativity, culture and real independence." David Ben-Gurion
Karen, they are fun to watch. We had an outdoor cat a few years ago. I remember the first time he saw the turkeys (all adults and a fairly large group). The cat just walked out into the middle of them like he was a welcoming ambassador. They didn't seem afraid of him and soon his curiousity was satisfied and he ignored them after that. It could have been different if there were babies...the way they run full tilt...it would have probably triggered a chase response. Those mama turkeys could probably kick butt on a cat though....especially to protect their babies.This message has been edited. Last edited by: jeepdarla,
Loved the series of shots! So much fun to watch nature in action! They look like they are starting to depend on you! TFS Funny when they are all there together. In the bitter cold I notice that with my feeding dish. Everyone seems to be more tolerant of whoever else is there!
Love your pictures, could spend a lot of time watching these. If we had some that close to the house it would be another thing for my husband to chalk up on his list of not to bring into the house to eat along with the big red squirrel on the bird feeder, the 3 large bull frogs in the fishpond and the turtle doves that nest and hatch in our wisteria.
It seems like the wild animals sort of use each other for a "lookout". If the birds startle and fly...the squirrels race for cover too.
mgt - I don't know what the big bump is on my dwarf apple tree. The tree was young when we moved here in 1986 and it had a swelling there at that time. Could it be extrs "scar tissue" from a graft? It is hard like the tree trunk and covered with bark. It doesn't seem to be causing a problem.
You got some great photos! We have a group that always travels through here too. They are way too cautious to let you get too close. I have to take photos from inside the house too. They are very aware of the smallest move even from inside the house.
My dogs always seem to see them now before I do and start barking, and then they are quick to move on.
GA Karen, don't let your cat out, those big toms will tear it apart. A stray dog was curious about one a few years ago and got too close to one near the front pond. Boy, did it get a big surprise. Most of them went to hide or fly off but the big male flapped his wings made very loud warning calls and started swiping and clawing at the poor dog with his strong legs and sharp claws. The dog ran off fast!
Whether You Think You Can Or You Think You Can't..... You're Right - Henry Ford
Posts: 6840 | Location: Central Florida | Registered: Feb 12, 2005
OMG, that is waaaaay cool!!! I can't get over it! So funny! You saw them since they were egg-sized, how cute! Do you see them year round or only in the spring/summer? I love the story you told, I really enjoyed it!!! TFS! P.S. I once saw a 'wild turkey' out of the car window. I don't remember if it was in NJ or not. And I screamed: "Look, there's a wild turkey"! I'm a city girl, so EVERYTHING fascinates me!!! We still stop and stare whenever we see "Deer". I've been in NJ 20+ yrs. and we still hold up traffic whenever we see deer on the road!! We stop and stare still......(In NYC we saw no wildlife, unless you consider cockroaches 'wildlife')
Posts: 57 | Location: The Garden State ~ New Jersey ! | Registered: Jun 14, 2012
Most of them went to hide or fly off but the big male flapped his wings made very loud warning calls and started swiping and clawing at the poor dog with his strong legs and sharp claws. The dog ran off fast!
