Turkey Trot

After months with Evening Grosbeaks coming daily - often in a flock of 50+, once 100+, today there have been NONE. What ungrateful birds! There has never been a lack of seed. In fact, most mornings I have filled feeders and cleared snow before sunrise, the task being done second only to the feeding of the cats (who will not tolerate any delay in getting their breakfast). You would think those grosbeaks were a bunch of corporate execs, who get their seed bonuses with nary a thought for the poor smucks who labor to make it possible.

However, early this afternoon I heard strange noises. Suspecting the cats had cornered some tiny intruder to the old farmhouse, I investigated. It was a rare instance in which the cats were innocent. The strange noise was gobbling. A flock of turkeys were transiting the yard on both ends of the house, and along the river. I got my count to 36, probably with half again as many being missed.

The Wild Turkey is a wary and skittish bird. As soon as I snuck onto the back porch for a photo op, they knew I was there and hurried away.

In addition to a maze of turkey tracks, there were other tracks close to the feeders following last night's snow. Our motion activated camera caught a Gray Fox - not much of a picture, but it shows what we miss when we are sleeping.