Since late summer we've watched a flock of ten wild turkeys wander through our neighborhood. We don't catch sight of them every day, but when we do, we are impressed that all ten are still alive and together. Especially given a wet Spring, drought in late Summer, and a cold December. It's a mixed flock of two to three hens and their offspring (males and females). We note their traits that help them survive predators--a heavy, bulky body,;daytime feeding habit; and nighttime roosting in tall trees--traits that defy our local predators (coyotes, foxes, bobcats) that hunt by night.
These turkeys have a regular route, but shift their roost site and daytime movements a bit, perhaps to further confuse any predators or to choose roost sites that provide more cover during cold, windy nights. Near us, they roost in stands of tall white pines or big oak trees, hopping up to some of the highest limbs before settling down on a branch. How they sleep and balance their bulky bodies is still a bit of a mystery.
We've watched them march back to their roost areas late in the day, before sundown. In the morning they fly down from their roost after sunrise and start the march toward preferred foraging areas. Sometimes we see them on the move in the woods behind our house. Other times they use the road to travel from their roost to daytime feeding areas, and back again. Despite these slight variations they always seem to roost just north of us and travel south to feed in woods that are sandwiched between a large wetland and a hay field.
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| The ten turkeys today, on their way to roosting in the late afternoon. |
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The ten turkeys in our yard in early November, a morning stop.
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