Turkeys are birds too.

[Gloria]

Hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving as much as I did. I love a slow meal with family. Old favorite dishes and new ones to try from the next generation adding their own twist to the day. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.

Turkey is a big part of the tradition in America from the dinner table to the president pardoning the Whitehouse bird. Wild Turkeys have made a big recovery in recent years and can be found in most states, even in urban areas. Madison Wisconsin has a few wild turkeys strutting through the streets that have their own Facebook Page and Chicago's Openlands have reported sightings.

My Life As A Turkey is great video of a man's attempt to mother a group of young wild turkeys that he incubated and raised. Some scenes may cause temporary aversion to eating a big stuffed bird but it is fun and heart warming, with a human perspective rather than good observational research. Still it is well worth the time invested in watching.


PBS "Nature" Video at link to enjoy Wild Turkey as part of the holiday tradition even if your meal was vegan... My Life as a Turkey ~ Full Episode | Nature | PBS

[sprucetree]

I've seen a lot of Canandain Geese this year and because the mast crop of crab-apples they were well fed.

[KC Clark]

I've had coyotes and turkeys around here shortly after their wild area was taken down by new development. Saw the turkey flock just once. Saw the coyotes a few times but I think they are gone now because I have foxes again. Housing crisis was a blessing for wildlife. Now after about 5 years of nothing, there is lots of new construction happening around me.

[EllenW]

I saw the My life as a Turkey video when it first came out. I thought it was very interesting and heart warming. I think Turkeys are so beautiful

[dapjwy]

I brought this up to my brother at Thanksgiving. I was supposed to send him a link; thanks for the reminder.

[havalotta]

It was an interesting film
I recall it's ending vividly but won't provide a spoiler on it.

[dapjwy]

Originally Posted by havalotta

It was an interesting film
I recall it's ending vividly but won't provide a spoiler on it.

I remember that as well...and, based on something my brother said about animals or a similar story, I hinted at it...especially since I knew his young children may watch with him.

[turttle]

I will have to watch the film. We have native wild turkeys here in NC. We saw a couple in Alligator River NWR last week. In California, they are considered invasive. I don't know if they were deliberately brought in for hunting or food, or if they escaped captivity but they don't have many predators and there are way more of them then there are out here. I had to chase a flock of them away from my rental car parked at a friend's house in Los Gatos, CA - they were attacking their reflections in the car's finish. She has many in her area. I admit, I like them, but many there consider them nuisances.

[dapjwy]

Originally Posted by turttle

I will have to watch the film. We have native wild turkeys here in NC. We saw a couple in Alligator River NWR last week. In California, they are considered invasive. I don't know if they were deliberately brought in for hunting or food, or if they escaped captivity but they don't have many predators and there are way more of them then there are out here. I had to chase a flock of them away from my rental car parked at a friend's house in Los Gatos, CA - they were attacking their reflections in the car's finish. She has many in her area. I admit, I like them, but many there consider them nuisances.

I'd love to see them utilize our property on occasion.

It never occurred to me that they would be a nuisance in California...but, if that is beyond their natural range, I can understand why.

[turttle]

I would love to see them on my property, too. I have thought a few times that I have heard one, but have never found it when I went out to look so it may be wishful thinking. A lot of people hunt around here, including turkeys, so if they are here, they are right to be skittish (good old NC, home of the NRA.)