Let's Talk Turkey

In Search of the (Real) Turkeys

In middle school, our strict British-born social studies teacher seemed to have no trouble finding the turkeys in the classroom. If anyone dared give a sub-standard answer to one of her questions we would immediately get pegged with an eraser or piece of chalk, whichever she could grab first. While attempting to dodge the chosen object, we would hear a thickly-accented voice booming, “You turkey! No! You know better than that!”

The point here is not the questionable teaching practices of Mrs. Davis (not her real name), obviously what we are all wondering now is how difficult it is to find a REAL turkey. We were sitting ducks, I mean sitting turkeys. Children actually. She must have been very confused. Where would Mrs. Davis, or anyone, go to find the real turkeys?

Domestic vs. Wild Turkeys

I’m not going to make this easy – a turkey farm is not an option. Domestic turkeys have been bred for captivity. They are twice the weight of wild turkeys, cannot fly, and can barely run – they can almost walk fast. In contrast, wild turkeys can run at speeds up to 25 mph, and can fly up to 55 mph. Wild male turkeys are notably quieter than their domestic counterparts, having learned that making too much noise is pretty much ringing the dinner bell for any nearby coyote, fox, or human hunter. Survival instincts are generally stronger in wild turkeys; I once heard about a domestic turkey named Einstein whose companions all drowned in two inches of water in a toddler’s pool. Clearly, Mrs. Davis MUST have been referring to the domestic turkey when she called us out for a response lacking in intelligence.

Wild Turkey

So where are the wild turkeys?

The best places to find wild turkeys are where they are finding food. This time of year, an excellent place to look is in forests where acorns, beech nuts or hickory nuts are abundant. The edges along such a forest are also a good bet, as are farm fields where wild turkeys are busy gleaning seeds. At Baltimore Woods, wild turkeys are often found at Peanut Hill (ask a camper or at the front desk how to get there), or in the farm fields on the Boundary Trail. Turkeys are early risers and do most of their feeding from dawn until mid-morning, though they can also be found feeding in the afternoons. In between feedings and at night, turkeys will roost up in trees. You may need to look up!

Turkey traces

Miss the early feeding session? Look for turkey tracks, with their three long pronounced toes and a possible dot or line where there is evidence of the tiny fourth toe behind the heel (the track is 3-4 in. long). Turkeys seasonally will feed in the same areas so if you see the track one day, check back during feeding time the next day.

Other than tracks, you may find evidence of the wild turkey in fall leaf litter. Have you heard of the turkey trot? No, it’s not the latest dance craze. Turkeys scratch through the leaf litter looking for insects or seeds, scratching once with one foot, twice with the other, and once again with the first. If you find areas of leaves where light digging was clearly present, a turkey could easily have been the culprit.

Calling all turkeys!

Finally, you could try to listen for turkeys or even give them a (turkey) call. Wild turkeys have a fairly complex system of vocalizations including (but not limited to) clucks, gobbles, cackles, yelps, purrs, putts, kee kees, and whispers. (All of these from animals that have parts of their body with Seussian names like snood, wattle, and caruncles!) Anyways, each of these calls have a purpose such as attracting a mate, calling the flock together, or setting off the alarm for a predator. Here’s some great sites to listen to and learn about turkey vocalizations:

• Cornell Lab of Ornithology
• National Wild Turkey Federation

Or, here’s an idea, make your own turkey caller! This is an easy, fun family project that requires only a couple items you probably have in your home already. Our own suitably named Tom (Meier) will show you how.

For added fun, do the turkey trot while trying them out. Get a bunch of people together and pretend to be a flock of wild turkeys. Just watch out for Mrs. Davis.

CAUTION: Please be safe in the woods during hunting season. If looking for turkeys, do not wear red, white, blue (the colors of the male turkeys’ neck and head when courting or aggressive), or dark colors. 


Blog post by Julia Maum

The Changing Landscape

I recently enjoyed one of the last warm days before the autumn chill really kicks in by going birding at Barry Park in Syracuse, NY.  The park was full of people enjoying the changing season -- it was also full of birds!

The first birds I spotted were the ducks and geese on the pond.  Then I saw an entire flock of starlings gathered in bushes near the pond and taking short trips to the edge to drink some water. I wondered if they were preparing for migration.  By this point I had the choice of taking a wooded path, or staying along the edge of the pond.  Since I was feeling adventurous I headed toward the trees.  Robins were foraging in the brush, and there was a pair of cardinals chasing each other.  As I emerged from the trees I saw a Belted King Fisher fly overhead and land on a naked branch over the water.  As I was watching the King Fisher surveying his kingdom I heard a chip.

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)

Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)

House Sparrow(Passer domesticus)

American Robin (Turdus migratorius)

 Photos courtesy of D. A. Saunders

Up to this point I had felt pretty good about my birding skills. I hadn’t needed to open my Sibley’s Guide once, but now I was stumped.  Pretty quickly I was able to spot the LBB (Little Brown Bird) but had no idea what it was.  By checking the field markings in the guide I could tell it was a sparrow, but I still was not 100% sure of which sparrow it was.  “If only I could hear the songs!” I lamented, since this little bird had not stopped calling once since I found it.

Then I remembered that I had the answer right in my pocket; my cell phone!  I recently downloaded the Sibley’s Bird App and I really love this app!  It has a setting that it will only show you birds you will see in your area, so I don’t need to worry about spending a lot of time deciding on a bird only to realize that according to its range map it lives primarily on the west coast.  The app still contains all the great illustrations and information the hard copy has, but it also includes the bird calls and songs. After listening to the songs I was sure this was the Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia).

I know many people would have been horrified if I pulled my phone out of my pocket during a bird walk, but I think we need to realize that just as the landscape around us is always changing, so is technology.  This app is just one example of technology that can help me feel more connected to the nature around me.  Now I vividly remember the triumph of identifying the Song Sparrow on my own, and not needing to remember details when I tried looking it up later.  I also could have visited the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s website and explored all the bird song recordings they have there to see if there is a regional dialect for Song Sparrows like there is for people.   

Did you know that birds from different places have different calls?  Sometimes humans can hear the differences, but sometimes only other birds can.  There is a great article about this phenomenon from the Stanford University, check itout to learn more about bird dialects.

The next time you are near the beaver pond in the Griffith’s Flat area use the Sibley’s app to identify the many birds found there!

What apps do you like to use when out exploring nature? 


Blog post by Katie Mulverhill