It was at our bird feeder, I swear!

[Seedling]

I just about peed myself yesterday when I came face-to-beak with this beauty. There it was, right above the bird-feeder, right on our deck! He (or she?) didn't object to me opening a window, so I tossed them some peanuts and took some terrible pictures.

He was back again today, shouting "yark yark yark" to his buddy.

We have a turkey infestation! I'm so honored. :)

[smugbug]

Wow! Thanks for sharing that and you know what? I've never ever seen a live turkey...live.

BTW, I love birdies of all sorts. I'm like a kid again whenever I see any (we have a lot of Redtail Hawks, other various hawks and even Bald Eagles here; Blue Heron and beautiful white Cranes, too). It's like, spot whatever feathered friend, and I start yelling, "loook, looook! Birdeeeeeees!"

[Flake]

Considering the time of year, that is one bold turkey.

[Brendan N]

oooh snow! I want snow!

:P

[kev ferrara]

I may have you beat... check out the bison in my backyard...

[Seedling]

Pat, yeah, I’d never seen them until moving to New England. And up until now I’ve only ever seen them crossing the roads – no more than a glimpse. And there was that one on Martha’s Vineyard that I tried to chase. . .

Flake, they’re either amazingly bold, or very, very stupid. I’m guessing the latter, because they just turned and looked at me funny when I opened the window to throw peanuts. I imagine domesticated chickens would have acted the same way. Oh yeah, there was that one turkey that almost caused an accident on the highway in front of us because it was trying to merge. :P

I’m guessing the snow has made foraging more difficult for them, which is why they were checking out the bird feeder to begin with.

Brendan, send me a self-addressed-stamped insulated box and I’ll send you some snow. ;) We got 14 inches this past week, and apparently there’s more on the way.

[Odayga]

Bison are amazing. i just ate one today. but i love them as animals im a huge huge animal lover forever so yeah.

seedling, the turkey you ran into is female. the males have a "barb" and are much bigger.

[Seedling]

Thanks Odayga! I thought you might get a kick out of these pictures. :)

Mmm, you've reminded me that I haven't had bison spaghetti in a while.

Crap, all I can think about today is food.

[Vermis]

Is that what's known as a free lunch? :madchef:

Not much as... er, exotic?... around here. Except maybe the couple of buzzards that hung around a couple of months ago.
Buzzards in the Old World sense.

[Steph Laberis]

Oh, lucky you Seedling! I've only heard turkeys in the woods behind my old house when I lived back east. They are very brazen as well as stupid - my friend ran into a flock one winter morning and they actually chased him back inside his house. Careful though, you likely have coyotes close by if there are turkeys roaming around. Lock your cats inside!

My Dad witnessed some drama at the feeder in his backyard in Salem the other day. He peeked out the window at the ground feeder at the usual flocks and noticed an enormous, beautiful red-tailed hawk watching the whole scene from a low branch. My Dad checked back 20 minutes later and all the birds were gone, save for the hawk who was on the ground, plucking apart something with grey and black plumage. D'oh!

[phoric]

When I lived in Montana we once had a group of about 150 wild turkey move into our back yard, for the entire winter.

[JL.Alfaro]

looks like a vulture...:l thanks for sharing. I've never seen a wild one either.

I worked in a turkey meat processing plant when I was younger...oh the smells...the sights...the sounds...blher...

if you guys would see what I've seen, you wouldn't eat turkey...or chikens srly (specially Hudson Foods brand)

Id rather eat cat meat. (and I have, it tastes like lamb meat- yuck-long story)

[LifeWontWait]

When I lived in Montana we once had a group of about 150 wild turkey move into our back yard, for the entire winter.

Yep... I live in Montana.... Seedling, watch out, they aren't the most friendly animals.

They attack people and cars in my town. lol... i hate those animals! >:{

[smugbug]

looks like a vulture...:l thanks for sharing. I've never seen a wild one either.


Hey! There is such a creature as a "Turkey Vulture". And they're BEEG birds, too. We often have a whole group of 'em circling above our house and property.

[Nyx702]

That is crazy.

Turkeys are seriously retarded. I live in the middle of Downtown Pittsburgh and once when I was driving home, down a huge hill, a turkey few into the middle of the road....It was 5:00...middle of down town. WHERE THE HECK DID THIS TURKEY COME FROM!?! Luckily the turkey wasn't hurt at the cost of a couple wreaks.

[JL.Alfaro]

Hey! There is such a creature as a "Turkey Vulture". And they're BEEG birds, too. We often have a whole group of 'em circling above our house and property.

I guess the question is...but are they really vultures? or just called vultures cause they look like em? either way...ugly birds.

Lifewont Wait- if one of those things attacked me,...after freaking out- Id probably kick the shit out of it,...I mean how dangerous can this bird be? its at the bottom of the food chain...right above worms and corn.

[smugbug]

I guess the question is...but are they really vultures? or just called vultures cause they look like em? either way...ugly birds.
.

Yup, they're really vultures! And yup, they ain't pretty.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/Turkey_vulture_Bluff.jpg

[Seedling]

I guess the question is...but are they really vultures? or just called vultures cause they look like em?

A turkey vulture is to a turkey what a grapefruit is to a grape. :)

[JL.Alfaro]

seedling- so what you're saying, basically, is that I should peel the turkey vulture before I eat it- whereas the turkey, I can just pop in my mouth...hmm

[Seedling]

seedling- so what you're saying, basically, is that I should peel the turkey vulture before I eat it- whereas the turkey, I can just pop in my mouth...hmm

Don't forget to spit out the seeds. :)

[Seedling]

Steph – doooood! I would be so thrilled to see a coyote in my yard! I saw one a few years ago in a neighboring town. It crossed in front of my car late one night, and close, too. All the hair on the back of my neck stood right up!

I think we may have had some similar drama at our feeder, because the other day I noticed a splotch of something bloody-looking on the snowy railing. I wouldn’t be surprised in the neighborhood birds-of-prey have been making use of our feeders, too. (Wish I’d seen that!)

Phoric – woah! I would be scared of being pecked to death! :)

LifeWontWait – The day I get chased by turkeys will be memorialized with a commemorative plaque! :)

Nyx – funny! That reminds me of the time I very nearly stepped on a skunk in the middle of Providence.

[Carnifex]

my grandma had a deer cross her backyard,and hours later a wolf.
unfortunately there aren't any pics...