I rarely see these guys out on their own. There's usually a flock of at least 4 or 5. Spring Gobbler hunting season runs through May 15 in Virginia. I heard them calling to each other a few weeks ago but all's been quiet since. Dunno why this one is all by itself.
Butterballs are fatter, and they're more tasty. And that yard has the potential for maintenance, if you know what I'm saying. Here in the country, no one calls the authorities if your lawn gets 3/8" above regulation height. I'm what you might call a "Situational Environmentalist."
Thanksgiving is a long way off, surely you know how to fatten him? Just kidding. A well maintained lawn does go a long way, though, I dont like to see weeds, so no lawn is better than one, for me.
I knew they eat a lot of things (including reptiles), so that makes sense. Just another reason to like having them around, 'cause we got tics here.
we've got them pretty bad this year. And the turkeys that we used to have walking thru the land are mostly gone. We used to have families of 15-20 birds walk around for hours.
They seem to cycle through. Same thing with foxes. When I moved here in 2010, I was told the turkeys had all but disappeared. But my first month or so here I pulled in my driveway and took this through my car window: There have been a couple of years I've hardly seen any. Perhaps they stay in the region but shift home ranges? Maybe they wander in response to food sources.
I told this story sometime back but in short, our restaurant in Idaho was in the country pretty much surrounded by woods and farms. One afternoon a young lad and two adult men came in and announced that they were hungry and had been out since early morning hunting for turkeys. There was no brag in them since they hadn’t even seen a turkey all day and were tired and just wanted to eat and rest for a while. Do note that there were two sliding glass doors at the back of the restaurant in full view of the entire dining room and what do you think was looking through the glass as the trio was going through the buffet? Yup, not one but two turkeys looking through the doors as if they were waiting for someone to feed them. I swear, if looks and bad language could kill there would have been turkey dinner for all three but they were helpless and all they could do at the end is try to enjoy what they had from the buffet.
Ticks are very nasty little parasites. They were thick all over the Missouri Ozarks where we lived. They also seem far more advanced than usually being credited for. Several times I encountered one on the DOORKNOB of our front door. To get there, the little bastard had to climb all the way up from the porch floor. I surmised they can detect scent, human or other. This idea is dismissed by expert opinion. I can tell with certainty that they climb up the stalks of the very tallest grasses, like Johnson Grass, and wave with it awaiting passing animals. Invariably, they climb upwards. I've experimented with one a number of times on my finger: it always climbed upwards, against gravity, when I turned my finger about. They will crawl about on one's body, before sinking in for a meal, sometimes for a long time. They carry a number of serious diseases, Lyme Disease among them. Their heavy presence was one factor which led us to leave the Ozarks, beautiful as it is there. Here in the desert, our most pesky insects are flies. None of the biting variety. We have not seen a mosquito in 8 years here. There are bees and bumblebees; they pose no problem. Biting ants ARE an occasional drawback. No ticks. There are fewer snakes than we expected, as well as scorpions. Frank
I have read that wild turkeys are extremely intelligent. Some people thought they should have been our national bird.
There's a place at the edge of the woods (where my yard ends) where the woods slope downhill. It's near the hose, so I use it as my spot to clean brushes, rollers, spackle knives, stove grates, etc. The water runs off so I don't create an environment for mosquitoes. But since it's at the woods-edge, the ticks hang out there. Apparently that transition point is a universal favorite spot for them to hitch a ride on emerging critters. I picked up so many ticks that I bought a used plastic double utility sink and set it there so I don't squat down in the grass as I clean. It's not plumbed in, but I did shove a 10' stick of 1 1/2" PVC on the drain to carry the water away. Now I don't get those nasty buggers on me...at least at that spot. Regarding "experts:" One of the early cases of Lyme disease in Texas was a little boy. His mother immediately recognized the symptoms, but their doctor refused to test the kid for the longest times because "We don't have Lyme disease out here." His treatment was significantly delayed. You are correct about ticks hanging out on high grass. Ticks wait for critters to brush by and then they transfer over. Regarding sensing breath: mosquitoes are known to be attracted to our carbon dioxide exhalations, so why not ticks? They always climb. That's how they end up on the face and in the ears of dogs and deer.
They are smart. Ben Franklin lobbied for them to be our national bird. Eagles are scavengers of carrion (in addition to being hunters.) I had a flock of them in my yard, and a dog took off after them like a shot out of a rifle. I thought for certain at least one of them was dun-for. Nope. Every one of those huge, awkward-looking critters got airborne in no time flat. I was shocked. I've seen one in a non-panic, methodical flight over a lake. It's quite an impressive sight.