Monday, February 21, 2011

Dancing the Turkey Trot



It took the Welcome Wagon long enough but they finally showed up yesterday afternoon. The Wild Turkeys, my fine feathered friends. While I was en route home from the Southwest I had put in a request to the Universe that I'd like to have the turkeys there to greet me. And they were. Right after I crossed the border into Minnesota a small flock was pecking around in a field next to the highway, the only flock I'd seen since the San Juans a few weeks earlier. San Juans being mountains, not a family of turkeys.


It was a nice sight, but I guess I should have been more specific. Not that I'm an ingrate. I was just hoping for something more. Such as, in my yard. So when I got up yesterday morning I thought again how nice it would be to see that little flock that lives in the nearby woods. A couple of hours later I was nodding off on the couch while reading when I got the nudge to get up and look out the kitchen window. There they were. The Gang of Eight is now the Gang of Four. They hung around for almost an hour, mostly under one of the large Norway pines in the back yard.


The photos aren't good, taken from inside the house with little chance for a clear view. The last time I saw them here, sometime in late fall, I tried to sneak around the corner of the house to take their picture and they hurried off, wanting nothing to do with it. You'd think they were members of some indigenous tribe who believe the camera steals their soul if you take their picture. And they are. Indigenous. I'm not sure how they feel about their souls. So, again, the pictures aren't good, but I sure had a good time watching them. They really are beautiful birds. I can't imagine ever tiring of their presence. It made a day of steel gray skies a whole lot nicer.








33 comments:

  1. It seems turkey's are every where these days and not that long ago it was just luck if you saw one. They're fun to see.

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  2. Oh I love the turkeys, we had a flock come by regularly to my lavender farm in California and I just loved them. I'll have to post the photos of them one of these days so you can see them. I think due to their size and the fact they don't fly easily, they have to be wary otherwise a predator, like a fox, coyote, or bobcat, can easily get them.

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  3. I just saw another blog I read with a video of turkeys, here's the link:

    http://ncclayclub.blogspot.com/2011/02/turkey-strut.html

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  4. Ben Franklin wanted them to be thenational bird.I see a lot around here and love it every time. It is hard to get very close.One place I see them a lot has apple trees they like to eat under.

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  5. Very cool! I'd have my face plastered against the window watching their every move.

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  6. One Fly, There does seem to be increased sightings. Yes, fun to see them.

    Linda, I'd like to see your photos, and thanks for the link!

    Steve, They are skittish for the very reasons Linda mentioned, I suppose. Trying to take wing for them is like an airbus trying to take off on a 500 ft. runway. It ain't pretty.

    Betty! Plastered, indeed. My face, that is.

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  7. At a timeshare we stay at on the island of Hawaii, the turkeys come right up to the sliding glass doors, and we're requested not to feed them. They live on the golf course where their poop is a natural hazard. Still, I love their gabbling outside.

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  8. Hi Linda! Poop as a natural hazard. That reminds me of a Joseph Wambaugh novel, The Choirboys, in which duck poop plays a central role. Slip slidin' away...

    My lord, woman, Hawaii, too? You do get around :)

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  9. Wonderful turkey post. On the farm we had a flock that visited from time to time. They are gorgeous and also quite silly. I watched one walk up and down the fenceline all day not able to work out how to cross. The rest had gone through or over but this one couldn't do it.

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  10. Joan, Thanks! They do seem a tad silly. They were back again today, same place, scratching and pecking. I'm so glad they're here.

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  11. Good gracious, they are such enormous birds aren't they. I suspect the only time I have ever seen a turkey is on a plate : and not too many of them. At the risk of sounding like an idiot, do such enormous beasts ever make it into the air?

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  12. Yes they can Alan and can be faster than this if they want to be.

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  13. Short distances, and not very high. They do roost in trees at night, but their flight is brief, of course. They can, however, run fast and cover a lot of ground quickly when they think there's trouble brewing. Thanks for joining in. I'm enjoying your blog very much.

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  14. They are a sight to see, these wild turkeys, aren't they? They look pretty well fed for February. We don't get them around here, but, our daughter lives just north of the Twin Cities, close to the river, and they frequent the front yard and most times I drive up 90/94 through WI, I notice more and more. Maybe ol' Ben knew what he was talking about when he wanted them to be our national bird.

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  15. I want to thank you for the link to both of my blogs but looking over your links I can not find a bad word in any of them and I don't want your readers to be offended if they come over to OTC because bad words are used. The picture blog is plenty if you make that choice.
    TB

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  16. One thing for certain - turkeys are not scavengers like eagles are. Last weekend there were at least a dozen eagles and other carrion eaters including a turkey vulture feeding on a couple dead elk or deer. It's a tough winter in western Colorado and that was the most eagles I've seen in one spot here.

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  17. Well, I saw words there I've used and some I haven't, but I made a decision to listen and occasionally laugh, and even learn something interesting. Like the video of Hillary Clinton and the protester. I may also speak my mind when I disagree, as I think you know, but never disrespectfully. I'm grateful that you're contributing to a greater transparency in this country and I stand by your desire and willingness to say what you think, in no uncertain terms.

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  18. Penny, They do seem to be more prevalent than they used to be. They seem fat and shiny, too. Apparently winter hasn't been too harsh for them. Thanks for visiting!

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  19. I love seeing turkey. They're such a treat around here(near KC). You're just too lucky to have them on your property...

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  20. Lynn, I guess that's it. Knowing they are right here, under my trees, makes it feel so good. They were back today and I just love knowing they're here, kind of like that bear last summer.

    One Fly, Someone mentioned seeing several eagles all in one spot, just down the road from my place. It seems odd to have them congregate like that. We didn't have that rough of a winter here. I found it interesting...

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  21. They do get together to party. There can be dozens and dozens of them. Big numbers here and other places on the river as well.

    http://www.keokukiowatourism.org/eagledays.htm

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  22. A Gathering of Eagles sounds very nice. Thanks for the link. Looks like an interesting mid-winter get together.

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  23. Ben Franklin to his daughter regarding our national symbol, the Bald Eagle, 1784:

    "I am on this account not displeased that the Figure is not known as a Bald Eagle, but looks more like a Turkey. For in Truth the Turkey is in Comparison a much more respectable Bird, and withal a true original Native of America... He is besides, though a little vain & silly, a Bird of Courage, and would not hesitate to attack a Grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his Farm Yard with a red Coat on."

    Certainly would have altered the "course" of history, at least at Thanksgiving, if Ben had his way.

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  24. Hi Cletis, I like that quote! Yes, I suppose eating the national bird on T Day would have been frowned upon. Perhaps the vanity Ben noted is meant to counter their fear of being thought silly.

    I'll be careful not to wear red in the yard, as they may have retained some ancestral memory. :)

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  25. Hello Teresa! It must be exciting to have wild turkeys in your backyard! They have such a lively gobble, haven't they? I don't see turkeys often here. We don't have wild turkeys, but in the country it was common to have both turkeys and chicken in the farm before. I wonder why they don't have turkeys anymore. Last time I saw a turkey was in the Open Air museum at Hjerl Hede!
    Some years ago I had a computer-game where you could choose to be in Mexico and build houses and go out and kill turkeys for food! And they gobbled so much that you almost thought there were turkeys in the room!
    I think your photos are okay, Teresa. It is a dark day and the light is not good. The camera sees what you see. You cannot do more than you have done. We love to see the photos.
    Grethe ´)

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  26. Dear Grethe, Thank you so much. I think I've either heard of the video game or saw it somewhere. It sounds familiar. They do have a distinctive sound, although these in my yard tend to be quiet. I suppose they think they're being surreptitious and noises might sound the alarm. :)

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  27. On the contrary, I think these photos are wonderful! What a serendipitous experience. I do hope the hunting interests are not too strong in your parts and that they are protected?

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  28. Thank you, Paul. Unfortunately, there is a wild turkey season that begins mid-April. It's going to be hard. I hope they hole up in my woods or the neighbors where they will be safe.

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  29. Teresa,
    Thanks for your encouragement and a beautiful mantra in my comments section this morning. You rock! The turkey symbolism is spot on.
    In the book Animal Totems by Trish MacGregor it reads:
    Share your bounty and harvest with others. Trust in the abundance of the universe and know that whatever you give to others returns to you threefold.

    You have given me encouragement and fed my soul today with your comment. I thank you from my heart. May all the wonderful gifts you give here in your blog with your eloquent words come back to you threefold.
    Wishing you a day of abundant beauty!

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  30. Teresa,

    How lovely! I bet they are fun to watch...did you catch them doing the Turkey Trot while they were there?

    I had to snicker at your comments about getting the photos through the window. I am forever trying to capture the birds on the feeder our our kitchen. I try to snak out the door but Hurricane, our golden MUST accompany me and scares the birds away...alas, I have yet to get any good photos; ahhh! oh well, sometimes that elusive photo is the best!

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  31. Dear Karen (Maggie's Garden), It is reciprocal, my friend. I'm deeply grateful for your words this morning. Have a wonderful day, a free-flowing river of ideas!



    Tracy, Every time they lift their legs, strutting away, they seem poised to dance. I have to say, as much as I love photographing the wildlife, if it came down to that or having a golden retriever it would be a hard choice. Goldens are remarkable dogs.

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  32. Nice to be welcomed back by good friends, eh? Just three days ago we had four very large male turkeys in one of our apple trees (still holding frozen apples from last year). When I stepped outside, unaware they were there, they all flew away simultaneously; crashing through heavy branches on their way out. What a site! They really do look awkward when they fly, almost as if they are too heavy to get off the ground.

    Thank you for sharing this.

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  33. HI Bill, Yes, I can see them now, crashing through, anxious to get out of sight. I'm glad you stopped by.

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