Backyard Visitor

[http://users.livejournal.com/_mattt/]

This is the second sighting of what I believe to be the same turkey hen in our backyard near the intersection of Prichard Avenue and Boston Avenue in Somerville; 0.6mi straight line distance ENE from Davis Square.

I do not know if anyone else here has seen (animal) turkeys in the neighborhood. Personally, I was surprised to see one in a place with so many outdoor cats and dogs and so much commotion.

It was moving freely from yard to yard by flying over the fences, and pecking at and bathing in the dirt. When I saw it today, it seemed much bolder and more indifferent to human activity than when I saw it two weeks ago.





It was not on a leash.

Comments

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

It was not on a leash.

My bad, I'll get Gobbles back in his pen.

Jokes aside, wild turkeys are tough and they tend to do OK around here. There was one that resided in Kendall Square for a loooooong time before Animal Control finally caught it.

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

jinx!

[whaler.livejournal.com]

lol at the leash joke

[perspicuity.livejournal.com]

turkeys are cool wild animals. also, they'll GIBlet your liver if you mess with them :)

dogs and cats are controlled species. i hope those are all properly leashed, vaccinated, chipped, collared, spayed, neutered, diluted, folded, spindled, and otherwise kept away from nature ;)

#

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

lol!

you know these things are pretty common, right? (not saying that snarkily, i didn't know until i came across one either.)

this turkey (http://www.flickr.com/photos/brightcove/9335109/) lived in kendall square in cambridge for quite awhile until a wildlife reserve came and took him away. i saw him on my way to work quite often, pecking at office windows and things.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_mattt/]

I had heard of them being sighted around here, but I didn't realize they were present in large enough numbers to be considered common wildlife. Oh well.. I was surprised.

[m00n.livejournal.com]

I saw that thing once while riding my bike from my East Cambridge apartment to North Station along Binney Stret and it nearly caused me to crash into a tree.

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

it's huge! the first time i saw it it was sleeping under a car in a parking lot across from zigo. when i saw it upright it was kind of terrifying, i swear it was easily past my waist D:

[ritcey.livejournal.com]

That was Mr. Gobbles. He was finally moved after getting hit by a car.

http://www.wickedlocal.com/cambridge/archive/x1092583572

I kinda miss him.

[lonelyholiday.livejournal.com]

It was apparently HUGE NEWS when there were a bunch of turkeys roaming Brookline a couple years ago. A friend of mine was contacted by quite a few reporters (all the way up to someone from CBS evening news, I believe, though that one never amounted to anything) after she just posted a couple little videos (http://www.jeffandcarol.com/carol/view.aspx?id=1792).

I found it all especially funny because I grew up in Pittsburgh, where turkeys were all over the place. We had a mother and a bunch of babies (chicks? what do you call baby turkeys?) who used to hang out on our front porch all the time.

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

what do you call baby turkeys?

Nuggets?

[http://users.livejournal.com/_mattt/]

Poults (although I was yelled at at the Topsfield Fair by a hysterical, shrill stranger years back for joking with my cousin that the baby chicks there are used to make Chicken McNuggets).

[fefie.livejournal.com]

Could be the one a neighbor spotted on Tower St (Spring Hill) a week or so ago.

[catling.livejournal.com]

Watch your ass, buddy, Turkey Crime is really rising right now:

http://thephoenix.com/Boston/News/82903-Turkey-Terror-Tale/


;)

[http://users.livejournal.com/_mattt/]

Isn't there an unsolved shooting at Harvard?

For a bird only reintroduced in 1972, I guess it is notable to be observing them this far east and in such urban areas.

[vibrantabyss.livejournal.com]

Feh, in Arlington in the early 70s we had turkey and pheasants and foxes. I'd have to ask my dad 'cause I was too small to remember (yay family movies) but I think the turkey 1st appeared in '71 or '72...

[justjess.livejournal.com]

On my last trip to NH (Mother's Day weekend), there was a wild turkey walking on the grassy highway median. We saw it twice, when driving up on Saturday and coming back down on Sunday... or we just saw two turkeys.

[ethanfield.livejournal.com]

We saw this gal (or a lookalike) on its way from Beacon Street to Line Street early this past Saturday morning!

[ronhaha108.livejournal.com]

There were 3 turkeys right outside my window around Alumni Fields on College Ave in Medford about a month ago.

[sunshineyellow.livejournal.com]

Oh great, now turkeys....that was one thing I was not missing from CA. Be careful, they are pretty aggressive and can scratch you up something terrible.

[nalz.livejournal.com]

There are tons of them down in Newton - they used to cause quite an issue at work because they nested around there. We had about 30 of them living around our office building. They would regularly back up traffic trying to get in the parking lot because they were being agressive to the cars or people trying to walk into the building, and people would freak. It was hilarious to watch.

I've only seen one or two in Medford, but I'm not surprised. They're pretty industrious!

[theodosia.livejournal.com]

A while back I was talking to one of our Animal Control officers and he said that the train tracks, and Mystic River park/shore brings in a lot more wildlife than you would expect for such an urban setting!

I'm so jealous you got a picture of her!

[frederic.livejournal.com]

Spotted a turkey on Willow Street near the bike path today. Had 7 chicks or so in tow. No clue how many turkeys there are in the area now.

[frederic.livejournal.com]

4 chicks visible in this pic