I have a huge wild turkey standing on the windowbox outside my kitchen window.....

[peacebird]

He is very persistent and refuses to be chased away! I wish I knew how to post a picture of him, he is quite impressive!
https://twitter.com/peacebird9/status/597004367808561152

[dhol82]

1. Impressive indeed!

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

2. Well, hope that he's a peaceable bird too.

Somebody posted an OP about a wild turkey that broken into a woman's bathroom, and caused thousands in damage before they got it out again.

[peacebird]

3. We had to 'encourage' him to leave the window box because he wqs pecking aggressively

at his reflection in the window... It's almost two hours since first sighting and he has decided my front walk and deck are his, much to the consternation of my chocolate lab, Jake!

[Jackpine Radical]

46. People have that same problem with sandhill cranes

attacking their reflections in windows.

[yeoman6987]

55. Yep. They cause a lot of damage because of that.

[Mojorabbit]

60. Cardinals do it here

I have tried soaping the windows so the reflection is gone, hanging mylar strips that blow in the breeze...nada. Had to resort to hanging a sheet outside over the french doors till breeding season ends every year.

[leftofcool]

4. I would suggest just getting some shelled corn and feed him.

However, we did that once and the old guy brought his entire family plus extended family and they pretty much tore up our yard. He will probably go away on his own when he figures out there isn't any food around. They are so beautiful, though.

[Raine1967]

5. Here you go, peacebird:

(I right clicked my mouse and had the image open up in a new tab, then it's just copy and paste into a post here )

...and that bird IS impressive!

[peacebird]

7. Thank you!

[Scootaloo]

19. it's just trying to distract you from the other velociraptor lurking in your kitchen

"Clever girl..."

[B2G]

28. Lol!!

[DawgHouse]

6. I'm glad you posted a picture!

At first, I was reminded of Granny Clampett and her "giant chicken" that nobody ever saw but her.

[sharp_stick]

8. Probably a Jake (yearling)

they get kind of aggressive and he was probably pissed at the other bird that wouldn't leave. They don't seem to understand the concept of reflections even when they peck the heck out of the object.

My neighbor had one attacking his hubcaps a few years ago.

On edit: just saw the picture, that guy looks a little big to be a Jake.

[peacebird]

10. The sound when he pops up his tail feathers is quite something too..!

He is still stalking about my deck and front walk as tho he owns the place!

[sharp_stick]

11. Be careful

it sounds like that other bird really pissed him off. Hopefully he takes off soon.

[peacebird]

12. I am staying indoors until he leaves, did I mention he is really BIG?

[sharp_stick]

13. I just saw the picture

That's a big one, he's too big to be Jake I think.

A Tom looking for some company.

[Chuuku Davis]

35. He is a jake

Look at the beard and spurs

[sharp_stick]

45. You're right n/t

[Sunlei]

9. It's breeding season and the big Toms are fooled by the Tom in the reflection. mirror and a camera,

you'll see him strut his stuff!

[user_name]

20. I think that you're right!

We used to have a turkey who would fly onto the hood of our car and spend hours looking at herself in the windshield. She would call to herself and occasionally peck at her reflection. It was hilarious!

[HassleCat]

14. Wrong Place

He obviously does not belong on your window box. He should be running in the Republican primaries, with all the other turkeys.

[rpannier]

16. Looks to intelligent and rational for that

Besides he's lacking a misspelled sign

[TlalocW]

15. He's looking in the window

At you to challenge you for dominance of the neighborhood you live in. You have no other option but to go out and meet him in combat.

TlalocW

[avebury]

17. Be careful, wild turkeys can be pretty aggressive.

When I lived in Maine, some how a wild turkey made it onto Macworth Island where the State School for the Deaf was (and a great place to walk around on the outer most part of the island). There were warning signs posted about the turkey and to stay away from it.

[Tyrs WolfDaemon]

18. You can always try to chase him off by showing him some Gravy and Stuffing.

You could also try making turkey sandwiches in front of him.

[peacebird]

21. He standing guard at the garden gate on my deck....

https://twitter.com/peacebird9/status/597023448762810368

[justiceischeap]

33. pic

[peacebird]

41. Thank you, i can't seem to copy & paste pictures here from my iPad....

[justiceischeap]

66. If you press on the image

meaning, hold down on it, you should get a menu that pops up that gives you several options on what to do with the image. You'd be looking for "Open in New Tab" that way you can copy the URL.

[Pooka Fey]

22. That is one big and bold turkey

Thanks for the pictures! Your property looks amazing with those old trees and so much greenery! No wonder you have a visitor!

[peacebird]

25. We have 5 acres bordering a small river, about half wooded, half meadow.

We have a nice variety of critters here, but this is the first turkey on deck experience!

[Pooka Fey]

36. ...

That's good land. It's beautiful!

[Paladin]

51. That adjacent river is a prime factor in attracting turkeys.

They do like readily-available water. I hope this one---and others--- stick around for you to observe. They are fascinating animals.

[peacebird]

53. The droopy red thing over his eye sometimes firms up to be a bright red unicorn horn!

Other times it looks like red wax dripping down....

[Paladin]

54. We've got some on our old family place in south Texas.

I never get tired of watching them, especially when the little ones are being herded around by the mommas.

[sarge43]

23. He probably sees his reflection in the window glass

He's in mating mode and wants to throw down.

[jwirr]

37. And he is either courting the turkey in the mirror or he is challenging it for dominence. If he goes

back to the window box hang a towel in the window so that there is no mirror image.

All animals are fooled by mirrors. My little dog has three other "dogs" she growls at all the time. The one living in my glass book case, the one in the tv screen and the one in a real mirror. She gets really mad when they do not leave.

[sarge43]

38. Yup. Reflections make them crazy .. or crazier. n/t

[Divernan]

24. My house backs on woods - often have turkeys checking out the ground

below my bird feeders for "spillage". It's funny to watch the rare occasions when they fly. They look like feathered basketballs with wings!

[shenmue]

26. O hai

[cherokeeprogressive]

27. I loves me some Wild Turkey. n/t

[notadmblnd]

29. Around here they hang out on street corners in gangs

Generally the Toms have about 4 hens each. And no, they don't like to move out of the road and they do chase cars down the street. I had one that wouldn't let me get out of my car a year or so ago.

[Bluenorthwest]

30. Same here. The postman treads with care...

nt

[secondvariety]

31. He doesn't

look particularly friendly.

[peacebird]

32. I am ready for him to move along, I had gardening I wanted to get done this morning!

But he is quite impressive and extremely bold.

[NV Whino]

34. It's mating season

The turkeys see their reflection and fight it. Other smaller birds do the same thing, towhees being the prime example.

Putting something over the outside of the window to kill the reflection will solve the problem.

[Buzz Clik]

39. You gonna share?

Must be happy hour somewhere!

[peacebird]

40. mmm... A Kentucky Mule sounds awfully tasty about now....

But seriously, this boy needs to move on out. I have a pump to install in the river and a couple hundred foot of pvc pipe to go over, finding leaks and repairing..... At least I was able to get the mouse guards on the beehives and handwater the flowers by the pond before he took up residence and chased me inside...!

[unionthug777]

42. here is my visitor...

not as impressive as yours. it was a surprise though, as we live in the middle of the city.

wildlife !!!

[peacebird]

43. Love it!

[BlancheSplanchnik]

44. Awwwwwwwwwww! I love wild turkeys!

Saw them a lot when I lived in the country (on a small mountain. ) They're HILARIOUS!!!!!

[bayareaboy]

47. Turkeys are kind of new here in California...

Probably about 40 years. They seem to be lots of fun to watch.

I looked at a house in the Mother Lode, a few years back and it seems that the real-estate sales folks, keep a few birds in the trunk of their cars to do the country image.

Was it Ben Franklin who wanted the Turkey to be the National Bird. I agree!

[malaise]

48. Call Sarah Palin

RFN!!!

[spiderpig]

49. I live in the burbs right next to a protected watershed area

We have all kinds of critters wandering around our house - deer, foxes, coyote, opossum, raccoons, frogs, rattlesnakes - and of course wild turkeys. They really do go "gobble-gobble-gobble". Drivers back up traffic while a flock of turkeys cross the street - IN THE CROSSWALK!

[peacebird]

52. You must get a photo of that, please? Flock crossing in crosswalk!

LOL!

[BumRushDaShow]

58. The Canada geese do that here

not long after their chicks can walk (cause they can't fly yet). Over the years, I've been stuck in "traffic" waiting for them to get to the other side of the road (here in the city believe it or not, where there are major streets that run through Fairmount Park). I call 'em "lawnmowers" because they munch mow the grass strips along the street.

[Faux pas]

50. Whoa

he is a big one!

[Baitball Blogger]

56. Is it mating season?

He may be challenged by his own reflection.

[Historic NY]

57. "Hey you in there, human feed me"......."now"

[BumRushDaShow]

59. My sister's next door neighbor raises chickens and tried turkeys last year

As an elementary teacher, she raised them from hatchlings that had come from the classroom's eggs (the kids love watching their "chicks" hatch)... And what was wild was to see the behavior difference between the chickens and turkeys... One day, the turkeys managed to squeeze through the fence between properties and my sister phones me saying that there were a bunch of turkeys standing around on her deck.



Whenever the hens got out and over to her spot, she knew to shake a can of their food and they would gather together and follow her and the food back to their own yard. But that didn't work with the turkeys. She said that she had to get a broom and shoo just one towards their home and the others would follow that one bird.

As it is, there are now alot of Red-tailed and Cooper's hawks in the area, along with foxes, and they love them some poultry, so needless to say, the hen house and part of the chicken run, has a net over it!

[dembotoz]

61. gop grassroots efforts

His persistence must mean u are seen by them as uncommitted

[Liberal_in_LA]

62. Turkey's are grouchy!

[peacebird]

68. This guy is so tame he follows us around the yard...! Clearly he was handraised.

Here is the follow on post

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026647911

[Eleanors38]

63. Well, spring turkey season may still be on. Delicious.

[Vinca]

64. I love wild turkeys . . . even when they take dirt baths in my garden.

I've only seen one this spring, but I can hear them gobbling it up out in the woods. They must be mating.

[Jamastiene]

65. Don't let Ben Carson see this.

[glinda]

67. Perhaps he scared of the bird flu all around the upper tier of the U.S. Pity him.