Tired Turkey

This is just something cute to share.  Our local mother wild turkey brought her new brood by the backyard today.  The terrain is hilly with lot's of obstacles, like steps and vegetation.  This little one got tired of navigating the grass, and took a 30 second power nap in the sun on the way past. 

We can hear the brood making it's way around, constantly peeping at varies distances behind mom.  They are learning the ropes.  Click here to see some of last years crew, and here for 2011 (where I also learned to respect mamma turkey!).  

Spring Babies

It seems like there are little babies starting to come out and about all over these days.

There was the little deer that came by the kitchen about 2 weeks ago.

Then the turkey brought her flock of poults by for some foraging.  

Then the lone duckling catching the first morning sun with it's mother.

Then the young turtle basking on a log (about the size of two silver dollars).

The froglets, many still with their tadpole tail

For size reference, these are a child's hands

Then just today, the Chickadee fledgling getting fed by it's attentive parents in the front yard.

Red Shouldered Impressions

In the My Side of the Mountain post, I mentioned we have a nesting pair of Red-Shouldered Hawks nearby.

Usually I just hear them, and see them riding the thermals above the valley.  But recently, they have been hanging around much closer to the houses.  In February my son looked out the kitchen window and casually asked "What's that bird?".  I was in the other room and asked "What does it look like?"  His response was "A Turkey", but I was thinking he probably would have just said "Turkey!" to begin with if that is what it was.  I came in and looked, half expecting a Turkey, and was shocked to see a Red-Shouldered Hawk flapping it's wings to keep it's balance on the ground on the steep hillside.  It looked like it had landed trying to catch something on the ground.  We only got a chance to snap this one picture with my phone before it flew off.   Just think of it as my version of a homage to Monet.

Impressionism Red Shouldered Hawk

Luckily, this bird or it's mate returned this morning.  It perched on the branches of a recently deceased tree, and worked on prying off small branches for about 10 minutes.  I imagine it is working on a nest nearby.

Red-Shouldered Hawk Pulling on branch

I was thrilled to get a chance to watch the bird work on this project, and get a few more photos.  My son got to see it also.

And in hindsight, it kind of does look like a Turkey.

Special for JDS, here is an actual Turkey photo taken a couple of weeks ago, as follow up to the comments from an earlier post.

  Happy spring all.

How To Choose A Thanksgiving Turkey - Urban Wildlife Chronicles

Step 1: Find Turkey Aisle
Step 2: Proceed Slowly down aisle examining prospective turkeys
Step 3: See if any one turkey in particular presents self
Step 4: Enjoy your Thanksgiving Turkey

*Note - no turkeys were physically harmed in the making of this movie. Emotionally, I'm not so sure.


On a side note, you may notice that some of the turkeys in the flock are a little smaller than the rest.  I believe these are the young of the year, which we met at a day or two old in The Fledglings Part Deux.  

The fledglings Part Deux

Yesterday I heard some very frantic peeping coming from behind the house, followed by some very urgent gobbling, followed by peeping, then gobbling, repeat (you get the idea).  I ventured out to see what the ruckus was, and it appears that the newest addition to the flock of wild turkeys has hatched, and at least half of the batch had managed to fall over our 5' retaining wall and get stuck between the wall and the house.  Granted there is a wide opening where almost anything except a day old turkey poult could easily figure out an escape.  They couldn't have been more than a day or two old.  Their Mamma was pacing back and forth just upslope of the wall calling to them, which was very effective at keeping them from wandering along the wall to the exit.  As they continued their serenade for the better part of an hour, all of the neighborhood cats were being called in from all directions.

I know that the turkeys are non-native (although there is some debate about that) and not good for the local ecosystem (although there is debate about that also) - but babies are babies.  I walked out back and tried herding them towards one exit, but that just caused them to scatter.  So I reached down to pick them up one at a time to deposit them back over the wall, not fully thinking through that Momma Turkey would not understand I wasn't picking them up for bit-sized snacks.  Because I was standing behind the 5' retaining wall, that means Momma Turkey was just about at head level.  I picked up the first baby, and snapped this shot,

seconds before the 20 lbs of crazy mad Momma Turkey made a claws out wings spread rush for my head.  Let me tell you, if I had been about to chow down on her baby, that sure would have been effective.  As it was, it got me to not-so-gently-as-I-would-have-liked-to toss the baby in her direction.  She was obviously not expecting this, as she didn't notice, and continued her very impressive display despite the happy baby peeping by her tail feathers.  At which point I realized that I was now trapped between the house and the retaining wall, barefoot, and that push come to shove, a mad Momma Turkey is much tougher than me!  Luckily for me, it was mostly show, and she had no desire to actually touch me if she didn't have to.  I was able to deposit the remaining babes back over the wall, and she got a tiny bit less aggressive each time - although I think she may have just been catching her breath.