We have had a population boom of turkeys in our area in the last few years. We often see them around our area, in our yard, in the bush behind, on the road. We don’t just have to watch for deer now – we also have to watch for turkeys.
At one time, wild turkeys were completely wiped out in Ontario. Now they believe there are over 100,000 in the province, thanks to having them re-introduced to the province. If you want to learn more about this, you can read about it in the North Bay Nipissing Newspaper.
It’s amazing that they survive in our area and even farther north as this is not their usual habitat. However, they are adaptable and are thriving. Their diet usually consists of acorns, beech nuts, pecans, hickory nuts, wild black cherries, hemlock buds, evergreen ferns, burdock, etc..
Usually the turkeys walk from place to place. They can run and fly though. At night, they fly up into trees to roost for the night. We have often heard them crashing through the branches as they get settled for the night.
I don’t find them to be the most attractive bird, but they are certainly big and fascinating. Some day I hope to get some photos of the males spreading their tail feathers.
