The Wild Turkeys are back, and goldfinch too! :)

[Care4all]

Wild turkeys are back, eating the sunflower seeds from the feeder... plus some goldfinch, wren, pine siskin I believe and House finches and chickadees...who were with me all winter!

Grass is coming up too! God Almighty, I LOVE SPRING!

 

[uscitizen]

Cool, Thanks Care.

The Turkeys hang around all winter here. Where does yours go?

 

[kwc57]

Yep, our Boy Scout troop was camping this past weekend and the turkeys would tune up around sundown across the creek from us.

 

[strollingbones]

the robins and hummingbirds are back...so is the ruffus sided towee...havent seen the indigo buntings yet or bluebirds

turkeys stay here too

 

[uscitizen]

Turkey hunting season just opened back up here last Saturday.

 

[Care4all]

Cool, Thanks Care.

The Turkeys hang around all winter here. Where does yours go?

they build themselves these stick and leaf HUTS, they look like igloos, with a small opening, only made with sticks.

In the undeveloped area of our lot, behind out house and of course in all the woods around us, but alot....maybe 20-40 build those huts on my property...away from the house, but close enough.

The entire winter, not a peep from them, not a gobble at all....I really am not certain, but they MUST hibernate over the winter. I keep feed in the seeders all winter, and I never see a one of them.

Then, about a month ago....in the evening, I started to hear their gobbles...massive amount of noise....but they still did not come to the feeder....?

I am not certain if they have come out, because they have had their chicklings and need to feed them or what....but I know in about 2 months, if all is on schedule, I will see the big mama turkeys with about 5 chicks each, running around the neighborhood...basically, in to the meadow across the street to teach the chicks how to feed themselves....they have NEVER brought their chicks to the feeder....never! Which is good....they are teaching their young to live off of the wild and not me.

 

[uscitizen]

You must have Eskimo Turkeys.


I don't think the ones areound here build anything, thye just sort of make nests in the briar thickets for the young, but roost up the the trees at night.

 

[Care4all]

the robins and hummingbirds are back...so is the ruffus sided towee...havent seen the indigo buntings yet or bluebirds

turkeys stay here too

no hummingbirds yet, no cedar waxwings yet, no varieties of grosbeaks yet....they must come with the blooms on the wild apple trees and wild plum trees.

 

[Care4all]

You must have Eskimo Turkeys.


I don't think the ones areound here build anything, thye just sort of make nests in the briar thickets for the young, but roost up the the trees at night.

I have never witnessed our turkeys here flying, not even a foot off the ground...wonder if they are too darn big??? I don't see how they could make it to a tree limb to roost....but that sounds really cool, seeing a turkey in a tree!

I will see if I can find the pictures i took a couple of years ago, of the stick huts...nests and post them when I do.

 

[uscitizen]

I saw one hummingbird here so far. A couple down the road keep feeders out and a few actually winter here with them.
They have one feeder that is heated so it does not freeze up. For the lazy hummingbirds I suppose.

 

[uscitizen]

You must have Eskimo Turkeys.


I don't think the ones areound here build anything, thye just sort of make nests in the briar thickets for the young, but roost up the the trees at night.

I have never witnessed our turkeys here flying, not even a foot off the ground...wonder if they are too darn big??? I don't see how they could make it to a tree limb to roost....but that sounds really cool, seeing a turkey in a tree!

I will see if I can find the pictures i took a couple of years ago, of the stick huts...nests and post them when I do.

turkeys can fly really well just not extremely far. Too heavy and get tired I guess. But can go 40 mph or so in a burst.
They seem to prefer walking or running on the ground for the most part.
I would appreciate a pic of the stick huts. I have never heard of that.

 

[Care4all]

Well, Turkey Hunting should be really good up here this year, deer hunting as well....we normally lose 25-35% of our deer each winter to the cold....this is just normal up here....we could lose 50% over a really bad winter....

THIS YEAR, we had such a warm winter, just a handful of snowstorms and Spring even came a month earlier than normal....

I heard on the news that they estimated we did not lose any deer this past winter, due to weather...doesn't mean some didn't die for some reason, but they listed no percentage killed off this year....

I bet they extend out hunting season up here for both turkey and deer.

 

[Care4all]

I know on the news they have been saying to really watch out for the turkeys and deer crossing the roads this year cuz there are so many, and even showed a car accident a woman got in cuz of the turkeys.