Tag Archives: Rio Grande Turkey

Firsts, General Blog, Naturalist, photography, Volunteering

Many, Many, Many Deer… and a Swarm of Bees, 03-26-19

I headed out to the Effie Yeaw Nature Preserve for a walk.  It was about 51° and drizzly when I left the house around 7:30. Although I carried my umbrella throughout my walk, I didn’t need it. As soon as I got to the preserve, the rain stopped. And by the time I left there, around 11:30 am, the sun had come out and it was about 63° outside. A very nice morning for a walk.

CLICK HERE for the album of photos.

Lots and lots and lots of deer were out today, including some boys who have antler-bumps, and some exceeding pregnant females.  I also came across one doe with a yearling, and the yearling had a bad cough.  I always worry about these little guys. I could see this one’s rib cage starting to show; he might not make it.

I got glimpses of some otters in the river. They were rolling over one another as they went upstream, barking and chirping at one another.  Uhhh… I think they were mating.  “Mating may take place on land but is more likely to occur in the water.” I was worried they were going to drown one another! Hah!

And speaking of drowning: on the Pond Trail, I came across a male Mallard trying to kick the snot out of another male who go to close to “his” female. Mallards aren’t particularly monogamous, but occasionally I’ll see a male who’s very protective of his mate and won’t let anyone else near her. The fight today took place almost a few years to the date of the last time I saw this behavior at the same pond. I wonder if it was the same pair pf ducks.  Rival-guy hightailed it out of the pond after macho-guy tried to drown him and bit him repeatedly on the back and butt. Wow!

The coolest thing I saw on my walk, though, was something I didn’t recognize at first. I saw it from a distance on the Meadow Trail and thought it might have been a nest (like a magpie’s nest), but it was on a weird part of the branches and too odd a shape for it to be a bird’s nest. I zoomed my camera in on it, and realized the whole thing was “moving”, sort of undulating all over its surface. Zooming in further, I realized I was looking at a swarm of bees! It didn’t look like they were building anything’ more like the swarm was gathered around their queen to protect her and keep her warm until she was ready to move on again.

I walked for about 3 ½ hours.

Species List:

1. Acorn Woodpecker, Melanerpes formicivorus
2. Audubon’s Warbler, Yellow-Rumped Warbler, Setophaga coronata
3. Black Phoebe, Sayornis nigricans
4. Brown Jelly Fungus, Jelly Leaf, Tremella foliacea
5. Buckbrush, Ceanothus cuneatus
6. Bullfrog, American Bullfrog, Lithobates catesbeianus
7. Bush Lupine, Lupinus albifrons
8. Bushtit, Psaltriparus minimus
9. California Ground Squirrel, Otospermophilus beecheyi
10. California Manroot, Bigroot, Marah fabaceus
11. California Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly, battus philenor hirsuta
12. California Pipevine, Dutchman’s Pipe, Aristolochia californica
13. California Scrub Jay, Aphelocoma californica
14. California Towhee, Melozone crissalis
15. Canada Goose, Branta canadensis
16. Chanterelle, Cantharellus californicus
17. Columbian Black-Tailed Deer, Mule deer, Odocoileus hemionus columbianus
18. Common Merganser, Mergus merganser
19. Desert Cottontail, Sylvilagus audubonii
20. Dog Vomit Slime Mold, Fuligo septica
21. Eastern Fox Squirrel, Sciurus niger
22. European Honey Bee, Apis mellifera
23. False Turkey Tail Fungus, Stereum hirsutum
24. Giraffe’s Head Henbit, Henbit Deathnettle, Lamium amplexicaule
25. Green Shield Lichen, Flavoparmelia caperata
26. Hermit Thrush, Catharus guttatus
27. House Wren, Troglodytes aedon
28. Interior Live Oak, Quercus wislizeni
29. Mallard, Anas platyrhynchos
30. Miniature Lupine, Lupinus bicolor
31. North American River Otter, Lontra canadensis
32. Northern Flicker, Colaptes auratus
33. Nutthall’s Woodpecker, Picoides nuttallii
34. Painted Lady Butterfly, Vanessa cardui
35. Red-Shouldered Hawk, Buteo lineatus
36. Rio Grande Turkey, Wild Turkey, Meleagris gallopavo intermedia
37. Spotted Towhee, Pipilo maculatus
38. Western Bluebird, Sialia mexicana
39. Western Redbud, Cercis occidentalis
40. White-Breasted Nuthatch, Sitta carolinensis

General Blog, Naturalist, photography, Volunteering

The Birds and Flowers are Starting to Spring, 03-19-19

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It was cloudy in the morning, and very overcast by the afternoon, but mild temperature-wise: 47° when I first headed out, and up to about 51° by noon.

I headed over to the Effie Yeaw Nature Preserve to do my volunteer trail walking there. I had invited others to come along on the walk if they wanted to, but no one else showed up, so I was on my own (which is fine with me).

The air was full of bird song: wrens, nuthatches, woodpeckers, hawks, towhees, turkeys, everyone was talking.  I heard Nutthall’s Woodpeckers and Spotted Towhees but couldn’t see them amid the branches and brush.  I did get to see a lot of House Wrens and a few Bewick’s Wrens, California Scrub Jays and Western Bluebirds, Oak Titmice and White-Breasted Nuthatches.

In one area, I came across a juvenile Red-Tailed Hawk that flew from tree to tree along the trail.  And in another area, I saw a pair of Red-Shouldered Hawks calling to each other and mating (twice). I think they might be using the nest on the Pond Trail near the fire suppression stanchion 4B. Their mating took place very near there, and I saw the female fly into the tree where the nest was.

During the second mating, there was a group of children on the trail, so they kind of got an eyeful. Hah!  On another part of the trail, I came across another small group of kids (each of whom was allowed to go on a solo walk before rejoining their group). When the kids were grouped together, they were right near where I was, so I told them that if they looked up into the tree across from them on the trail, they’d be able to see a Bushtit nest that the little birds were actually in the process of building. They couldn’t make it out at first, so I used the laser-pointer I had (I always take one on my walks) to point out the nest.  They oooed and awwwed, and at the same time a mature couple walked up, asked what we were seeing, and stopped to take photos.

A little further up the same trail, there was a large tree in a shallow meadow, and it was being visited by Western Bluebirds, Tree Swallows, an Anna’s Hummingbird, and Audubon’s Warblers. I swear, I should have just set a chair up there and spent the day watching that tree. Lots of photo ops.

CLICK HERE for the album of photos.

I saw some deer today, mostly small groups of does and a handful of buck (most of them having lost their antlers by now). In one spot, I came from behind a tree on the trail where there’s an open field – and a coyote was standing out there, right in the open. For some reason, my brain freezes when I first see the coyotes, so it takes me a couple of seconds to realize what I’m looking at… and the coyotes usually use those seconds to turn their back on me and lope away as did this one. Dang it!

One of the does was sitting down almost obliterated from view by grasses and shrubbery. She was in an area where, last year, one of the does had her fawn.  I wonder if this was the same doe…

There were a few flowers starting to come up in the grass, and the Interior Live Oak trees are dripping in catkins right now, so spring is springing.  Another few weeks, warm weather permitting, it should be super gorgeous out there.

I walked for 3 ½ hours and then headed back home.

Species List:

1. Acorn Woodpecker, Melanerpes formicivorus
2. Anna’s Hummingbird, Calypte anna
3. Audubon’s Warbler, Yellow-Rumped Warbler, Setophaga coronate auduboni
4. Bewick’s Wren, Thryomanes bewickii
5. Blue Dicks, Dichelostemma capitatum
6. Bushtit, Psaltriparus minimus
7. California Scrub Jay, Aphelocoma californica
8. California Towhee, Melozone crissalis
9. Columbian Black-Tailed Deer, Odocoileus hemionus columbianus
10. Coyote, Canis latrans
11. Eastern Fox Squirrel, Sciurus niger
12. Elfin Saddle, Helvella lacunosa
13. Giraffe’s Head Henbit, Henbit Deadnettle, Lamium amplexicaule
14. Golden-Crowned Sparrow, Zonotrichia atricapilla
15. House Wren, Troglodytes aedon
16. Interior Live Oak, Quercus wislizeni
17. Mallard, Anas platyrhynchos
18. Manroot, California Manroot, Bigroot, Wild Cucumber, Marah fabaceus
19. Miner’s Lettuce, Claytonia perfoliata
20. Mole, Broad-Footed Mole, Scapanus latimanus
21. Mugwort, California Mugwort, Artemisia douglasiana
22. Northern Flicker, Colaptes auratus
23. Nutthall’s Woodpecker, Picoides nuttallii
24. Oak Titmouse, Baeolophus inornatus
25. Oxalis, California Wood Sorrel, Oxalis californica
26. Periwinkle, Vinca major
27. Poison Oak, Toxicodendron diversilobum
28. Red-Shouldered Hawk, Buteo lineatus
29. Red-Tailed Hawk, Buteo jamaicensis
30. Rio Grande Turkey, Wild Turkey, Meleagris gallopavo intermedia
31. Spotted Towhee, Pipilo maculatus
32. Tree Swallow, Tachycineta bicolor
33. Western Bluebird, Sialia mexicana
34. Western Redbud, Cercis occidentalis
35. White-Breasted Nuthatch, Sitta carolinensis

Firsts, General Blog, Naturalist, photography

The Springtime Birds are Moving In, 03-07-19

I headed out to the American River Bend Park around 7:00 am.  It was mostly cloudy when I got there, around 49°, but the rain moved in while I was walking.  Not a lot of rain, but enough so that I needed my umbrella.

The first things I saw were a handful of deer, does, and some Eastern Fox Squirrels including one that was chomping on a black walnut.  I’d gone, especially, to see if the Red-Shouldered Hawk I’d spotted last week was still sitting on the nest near the lawn turn out… and she was there. Yay!  Because of the angle at which I can vie the nest, it’s hard to see the mama, but she’s in there. I could see the top of her head, heard her calling, and saw her rearranging some of the nesting materials. I’m assuming she’s sitting on eggs now.

As I walked along, I saw a lot of Western Bluebirds and Audubon Warblers all over the place. I think everyone’s pairing off now and looking for nesting sites.  I also saw some Tree Swallows and Lesser Goldfinches… along with a small flock of Northern Flickers and, of course, loads of Starlings and Acorn Woodpeckers.

CLICK HERE for the album of photos.

I was really surprised by the number and size of the Elfin Saddle fungi around the park. I’ve never seen so many around there that were so large. And another nice surprise: I saw a male Belted Kingfisher flying back and forth along the side of the river, and I got a few photos of him when he rested for a brief time in a tree. But he was pretty far away, so the photos aren’t great. Kingfishers are like my “nemesis birds”; I can very seldom get a descent shot of one of them.  They’re so fast and so shy.

I walked for a little over three hours and then headed home.

Species List: 

1. Acorn Woodpecker, Melanerpes formicivorus
2. Audubon’s Warbler, Yellow-Rumped Warbler, Setophaga coronata
3. Barometer Earthstar Fungus, Astraeus hygrometricus
4. Belted Kingfisher, Megaceryle alcyon
5. Bird’s Nest Fungus, Cyathus stercoreus
6. Black Jelly Roll Fungus, Exidia glandulosa
7. Black Phoebe, Sayornis nigricans
8. Black Walnut, California Walnut, Juglans californica
9. Brown Jelly Fungus, Jelly Leaf, Tremella foliacea
10. California Manroot, Marah fabaceus
11. California Pipevine, Aristolochia californica
12. Columbian Black-Tailed Deer, Odocoileus hemionus columbianus
13. Coyote Brush, Baccharis pilularis
14. Destroying Angel, Western North American Destroying Angel, Amanita ocreata
15. Eastern Fox Squirrel, Sciurus niger
16. Elfin Saddle Fungus, False Morel, Helvella lacunosa
17. European Starling, Sturnus vulgaris
18. False Turkey Tail Fungus, Stereum hirsutum
19. Gallium, Velcro-Grass, Bedstraw, Galium aparine
20. Gem-Studded Puff Ball, Lycoperdon perlatum
21. Gnorimoschema baccharisella moth stem gall
22. Green Shield Lichen, Flavoparmelia caperata
23. Haymaker Mushrooms, Panaeolus foenisecii
24. Lesser Goldfinch, Spinus psaltria
25. Mallard, Anas platyrhynchos
26. Miner’s Lettuce, Claytonia perfoliata
27. Northern Flicker, Colaptes auratus
28. Oak Titmouse, Baeolophus inornatus
29. Oakmoss Lichen, Evernia prunastri
30. Palomino Cup Fungus, Peziza repanda
31. Red-Shouldered Hawk, Buteo lineatus
32. Red-Tread Mushroom, Marasmius plicatulus
33. Rust fungus, Puccinia evadens
34. Sunburst Lichen, Xanthoria elegans
35. Tree Swallow, Tachycineta bicolor
36. Valley Oak, Quercus lobata
37. Western Bluebird, Sialia mexicana
38. White-Breasted Nuthatch, Sitta carolinensis
39. Wild Turkey, Rio Grande Turkey, Meleagris gallopavo intermedia
40. Witch’s Butter, Jelly Fungus, Tremella mesenterica
41. Wood Blewit, Purple Core, Clitocybe nuda

General Blog, Naturalist, photography

Watching a Hawk Eat His Breakfast, 03-04-19

I headed out to the Effie Yeaw Nature Preserve for a walk today.  It was about 46° at the river, and while I was walking the clouds parted, leaving things partly sunny and quite lovely outside. I walked for a little over 3 hours and covered about 2½ miles.

One of the first things I saw was a small group of male Western Bluebirds. They’re small birds, but so brilliantly colored it’s hard to miss them even at a distance.  Around that same area, I watched as an Eastern Fox Squirrel added foliage to a drey she was building inside and around a mound of mistletoe. Smart squirrel. It’s really hard for predators to see the drey from above or below. Now I know where two dreys are in the preserve; I’ll have to keep an eye on them to see if I can spot any babies (once they’re old enough to emerge).

All of the plants and critters are getting ready for spring. The poison oak is starting to leaf out everywhere, their new reddish leaves vibrant in the morning light. And manroot and pipevine are showing up all over the landscape.  In one spot, I found the native manroot intertwining with invasive Periwinkle vines.  Elsewhere, the invasive European Starlings are in a battle with native Acorn Woodpeckers for nesting sites. The Starlings can’t drill their own nesting cavities, so they steal from the woodpeckers whenever they can.

I also spotted a tiny female Anna’s Hummingbird plucking the fluff off of the top of dead Yellow Star Thistle blossoms and flying off with it. They use it to line their nests.

I saw a few Red-Shouldered Hawks today, including one that flew over my head with something in its talons. I tried following it, even though it was moving really quickly, and my legs are really short. Then I could hear it calling from somewhere close, and I jokingly said to myself, “Y’know, it would be really nice if you landed on the bat box over there so I could actually get some picture of you.”

And when I finally found it, it had landed on the bat box! Yay!

It stayed there, letting me take photos of it until it had finished it breakfast and flew off again. Awesome. And in many of the photos, you can see that it had a little dark vole. In some of the photos, you can clearly see the vole’s eyes and face.

CLICK HERE for the album of photos.

The biggest surprise of the day was hearing the gravelly call of Sandhill Cranes from overhead. The sound can travel for over a mile, so sometimes they’re REALLY hard to spot, but I managed to see the flock, flying waaaaaaaaay overhead among the clouds. ((Later, when I got home, my sister Melissa and I were able to spot another flock flying overhead.))

I love this time of year.

Species List: 

  1. Acorn Woodpecker, Melanerpes formicivorus
  2. American Kestrel, Falco sparverius
  3. Anna’s Hummingbird, Calypte anna
  4. Audubon’s Warbler, Yellow-Rumped Warbler, Setophaga coronata
  5. Black Jelly Roll Fungus, Exidia glandulosa
  6. Black-Tailed Jackrabbit, Lepus californicus
  7. Blessed Milkthistle, Silybum marianum
  8. Blue Elderberry, Sambucus cerulea
  9. California Ground Squirrel, Otospermophilus beecheyi
  10. California Pipevine, Dutchman’s Pipe, Aristolochia californica
  11. California Scrub Jay, Aphelocoma californica
  12. California Towhee, Melozone crissalis
  13. Columbian Black-Tailed Deer, Odocoileus hemionus columbianus
  14. Eastern Fox Squirrel, Sciurus niger
  15. European Starling, Sturnus vulgaris
  16. False Turkey Tail fungus, Stereum hirsutum
  17. Giraffe’s Head Henbit, Henbit Deadnettle, Lamium amplexicaule
  18. Golden Crowned Sparrow, Zonotrichia atricapilla
  19. Haymaker Mushroom, Panaeolus foenisecii
  20. Manroot, California Manroot, Bigroot Vine, Wild Cucumber, Marah fabaceus
  21. Miner’s Lettuce, Claytonia perfoliata
  22. Northern Flicker, Colaptes auratus
  23. Nutthall’s Woodpecker, Picoides nuttallii
  24. Oak Titmouse, Baeolophus inornatus
  25. Periwinkle, Vinca major
  26. Poison Oak, Pacific Poison Oak, Western Poison Oak, Toxicodendron diversilobum
  27. Raccoon, Procyon lotor
  28. Red-Shouldered Hawk, Buteo lineatus
  29. Sandhill Crane, Grus canadensis
  30. Spotted Towhee, Pipilo maculatus
  31. Western Bluebird, Sialia mexicana
  32. White-Breasted Nuthatch, Sitta carolinensis
  33. Wild Turkey, Rio Grande Turkey, Meleagris gallopavo intermedia
  34. Yellow Field Mushrooms, Agaricus campestris
  35. Yellow Star-Thistle, Centaurea solstitialis
Firsts, General Blog, Naturalist, photography, Volunteering

An Overcast Day at the Preserve, 02-28-19

Date: Thursday, 02-28-19
Time: 7:30 am to 10:30 am
Location: Effie Yeaw Nature Center, 2850 San Lorenzo Way, Carmichael, CA 95608
Habitat: Oak Woodland and riparian boundary
Weather: Overcast, 43° to 46°

Narrative: I headed out to the Effie Yeaw Nature Preserve for my trail walking right after I fed the dog his breakfast. I arrived about 7:30 am and it was 43° at the river. The first thing I saw when I got into the preserve was a Red-Shouldered Hawk just sitting on the lawn. It hadn’t caught anything (that I could see) and stood there, looking around for a short while, so I was able to get some photos and a video snippet of it before it flew off into the trees.

CLICK HERE for the album of photos.

After going down the wooden steps onto the Bluff Trail, I caught sight of a Western Gray Squirrel running along the trail with a mouth full of grass and twigs, so I followed it… and found where it was constructing its “drey” (squirrel nest). Dreys are different from other squirrel nests because they’re formed on the outside of a tree or cavity and built where several branches come together. ((If the squirrel’s nest is inside a tree or cavity, it’s called a “den”.)) If it continues to build there, walkers should be able to get some good views of the squirrel and its babies.

Lots of deer were out, including several small herds of does and their yearling fawns. I hung around one group for a while just watching a doe grooming her fawn. They’re so tender with their babies; it’s so relaxing to watch them. I also came across a couple of bucks, into two younger ones who were sparring for a little while. One or two of the does seem to be showing their pregnancies already. ((The gestation period is 7 months long so around 203 days.))

At one point along the trail, I saw two odd shapes in the top of a bare-branched tree. Because the sky was overcast, looking up into the branches everything was backlit, so it took a while for me to figure out what I was looking at: a pair of Wood Ducks (a male and female) looking for a place to nest.

I also came across more fungi today than I did on my walk with my naturalist student the other day. Puffball fungus, mushrooms, Elfin Saddles, and three different kinds of jelly fungus, including the nicest specimen of Witches Butter I’ve ever seen. I found a nice specimen of Trametes betulina, a kind of fungus that looks like Turkey Tail fungus (Trametes versicolor), but it has gills! It’s sometimes called the Multicolored Gilled Polypore or Mazegill. This is the first time I’ve seen it live and in such wonderful color. (I usually see it in its later stages when it’s just a bunch of hard weird gills.) Very cool.

Because it was early and overcast and a weekday, I didn’t see a lot of people, but had short interactions with those I did see: got to talk to one lady about Black-Tailed Jackrabbits and another about jelly fungi.

I walked for about 3 hours and headed back home.

Species List:

1. Acorn Woodpecker, Melanerpes formicivorus
2. Bewick’s Wren, Thryomanes bewickii
3. Black Jelly Roll fungus, Exidia glandulosa
4. Black Phoebe, Sayornis nigricans
5. Brown Jelly Fungus, Tremella foliacea
6. California Buckeye, Aesculus californica
7. California Ground Squirrel, Otospermophilus beecheyi
8. California Scrub Jay, Aphelocoma californica
9. California Sycamore, Platanus racemosa
10. California Towhee, Melozone crissalis
11. Columbian Black-Tailed Deer, Odocoileus hemionus columbianus
12. Deer Shield Mushroom, Pluteus cervinus
13. Eastern Fox Squirrel, Sciurus niger
14. Elfin Saddle, Helvella lacunosa
15. European Starling, Sturnus vulgaris
16. False Turkey Tail, Stereum ostrea
17. Gilled Polypore, Mazegill, Trametes betulina
18. Golden-Crowned Sparrow, Zonotrichia atricapilla
19. Green Shield Lichen, Flavoparmelia caperata
20. House Wren, Troglodytes aedon
21. Lords and Ladies, Naked Boys, Arum italicum
22. Nutthall’s Woodpecker, Picoides nuttallii (heard only)
23. Oak Titmouse, Baeolophus inornatus
24. Puffball fungus, Paltry Puffball, Bovista plumbea
25. Red-Shouldered Hawk, Buteo lineatus
26. Rio Grande Turkey, Wild Turkey, Meleagris gallopavo intermedia
27. Rock-Shield Lichen, Xanthoparmelia lavicola
28. Spotted Towhee, Pipilo maculatus, (heard only)
29. Turkey Tail fungus, Trametes versicolor
30. Valley Oak, Quercus lobata
31. Wavy Leaf Soap Plant, Chlorogalum pomeridianum
32. Western Gray Squirrel, Sciurus griseus
33. White Alder, Alnus rhombifolia
34. White-Breasted Nuthatch, Sitta carolinensis
35. Witches Butter, Golden Jelly Fungus, Tremella mesenterica
36. Wood Duck, Aix sponsa
37. Yellow Field Mushroom, Egg Yolk Fungus, Bolbitius vitellinus
38. Russet Toughshank mushroom, Oak Lover mushroom, Gymnopus dryophilus

Firsts, General Blog, Naturalist, photography

A Frosty Morning Walk, 02-06-19

Around 7:30 am I headed over to the Effie Yeaw Nature Preserve for a walk.  It was a very chilly 31°when I got there, and there were some areas where everything was covered with a heavy frost.  I was glad my heavier coat was in the back seat of the car! There were only a few people on the trails as I was walking, including a small group of birders with binoculars and a spotting scope. I tried to avoid them as much as I could so I wouldn’t interfere with whatever it was they were trying to view.

Early along on my walk, I watched a pair of loudly honking Canada Geese fly over my head, circle around, and then land in two different trees along the trail. I’d never seen the geese perch in trees before, so I tried to get a closer look at them.  I think they were maybe an adult and a juvenile, and the juvenile had gotten tired of flying and couldn’t fly anymore.  He was on the tree closest to me; I could see that his face-patches, which are bright white on the adults, was sort of light gray (which is why I assumed he was a juvenile), and he seemed exhausted. Geese aren’t really made to perch in trees, and he was fumbling around a bit on the stump he’d chosen to land on.  The other goose was higher up in another tree across from him.  They honked at each other, back and forth, for several minutes. Then they took off in tandem and flew over to the river side where they landed once more on the rocky shore. I’m hoping these are resident geese that can go live on the lawns of the golf course and aren’t migrating anywhere. They younger goose couldn’t manage any kind of long-time flying…

CLICK HERE to see the album of photos.

I also watched a young Eastern Fox Squirrel running around on a cottonwood tree. At several points, the squirrel stopped, held onto the bark with its hind legs, and extended its front legs out in front of it away from the tree.  It looked like he was doing an augmented form of “planking”, using gravity to stretch his back out. I’d never seen that behavior before either, so that was two “firsts” for the day.

Further along the trail, I crossed paths with the birding group, and they pointed out a male Downy Woodpecker to me that I would have missed if they hadn’t shown it to me.  So, thanks for that.

Around the same area, I saw a Red-Tailed Hawk that was first sitting on the top of a tree and then joining the Turkey Vultures in their winding “kettle” flight up along the warm air drafts.  Below them, in another tree, was a Red-Shouldered Hawk.  At first I thought it was blind in one eye or missing eye. Closer inspection of the photos I took of it proved, though, that its right eye was just surrounded by gunk. So, it might have had an infection, but it still had its eye.

I saw a lot of deer again today, small herds of about 10 to 12 deer each in different parts of the preserve.  The adult males are still sporting their antlers, and I saw quite a few 3- and 4-pointers out there.  I also saw a young male that just had little nubbies where his first-year antlers had been’ one of the pedicles looks raw, so I assumed that he’d probably had his antlers knocked off very recently. He also had an oddly formed face, like his nose had been broken at one point or something. He had a visible underbite; his bottom jaw and teeth protruding beyond his upper row of teeth. A very distinctive-looking boy.

Even though it was chilly outside, I really enjoyed the fresh air and the movement. The only thing that was temporarily was aggravating was the fact that my camera stalled out and wouldn’t take multiple shots in a burst after about an hour or so.  That usually happens when the data card is too full to process anymore incoming information. So, I had to replace the original data card with a back-up one I had in my bag. My back up card was still in its packaging, though, so I had to struggle opening it up – with cold fingers, and the tiny knife on my keychain. Ugh!  Once I got the cards switched out, I was able to continue to take photos without interruption.

As I was going out of the park, there were truckloads of kids around the nature center, some of them screaming and running around. I heard two of their chaperones yell, “Leave the turkeys alone!!” and could hear the Wild Turkeys gobbling excitedly.  I went closer to where the turkeys were – intending to protect them from the children – just as the chaperones got their heinous charges under control and were walking away from where three gobblers were standing.  Once the kids were gone – out through the front of the preserve and across the road to an open field – the turkeys settled down and walked up to the doors of the learning center where they (once more) started strutting and posturing to their reflections in the glass doors.

After a few minutes, a small group of seniors came up and stood behind me to watch the birds. One of them said, “Oh, look. They’re looking for food.”  I explained that, no, they’re “in strut”, and then explained how the males posture, fan their tails, drop their wing feathers to the ground… what the snood on the face was… why their faces looked blue/white and their caruncles were bright red… A teaching moment. The seniors all got their phones out and started taking photos of the birds. All the while, the turkeys moved in and out of bright sunlight, making the feathers on their bodies gleam with copper, orange and green iridescence. They’re really quite beautiful.

All in all, I walked for about 3 hours before heading home.