Posted by Bill Maile on February 11, 2011 at 11:02 AM
I was driving down a road this morning that I've made sure to familiar myself with as it is in the area that I've taken most of my avian photos. It was very cold, probably about 6 degrees outside. As I was driving in the right lane, out of the corner of my eye I thought I saw some unusual "clumps" in the barren trees and pines to the left. I was actually looking for a bald eagle that's been around, so I continued on, thinking I'll stop and check this out on my way back. So I did, and as I got out of the vehicle, I saw a flock of turkeys, probably a good 20 birds or so, roosting up in the trees, a good 15-30 feet off the ground throughout the trees.
They scatter quickly, flying off a good distance... my question, is this normal behavior?? I've seen A LOT of turkeys in this area, but nothing like this. Too many branches, etc. to get a good shot, this is about the best I came out with. Thanks for any info!!
Posted by Derek Yow on February 11, 2011 at 11:20 AM
If you're asking about roosing in trees, yes, it's perfectly normal behavior.
Turkeys roost in trees nightly for protection. They have strong legs and long spurs on the hindside of their legs to assist them in grasping branches. Many times they use the same areas, so you might see them around again. They're large birds, but fly better than you'd expect. I've spooked turkeys off the roost before in pre-dawn darkness and it'll make your heart skip a beat the first time it happens.
Posted by Bill Maile on February 11, 2011 at 12:12 PM
Hi Derek, yes, that's what I was asking. I live in an area that is abundant, even over-abundant some would say, with wild turkeys and have never noticed a group behavior such as this. It was very cool!! I saw them walking in the same area the other day. Of course I've noticed those spurs before, never knew what they were used for... defense, etc.
Thank you for the information!! Yes, I can imagine stumbling across a bunch of these unexpectedly, in low light, would be a rude "awakening"!!
Posted by Peter Conway on February 11, 2011 at 12:14 PM
Hi Bill,
Yep, pretty typical behavior.
Posted by Bill Maile on February 11, 2011 at 12:55 PM
I just wish I could have gotten a group shot... it was amazing to see 20+ turkeys in the trees, and then wings scrambling everywhere as they took off. Going to check back often, I'm on the road almost every day. Thanks!
Posted by Derek Yow on February 11, 2011 at 2:39 PM
It's certainly pretty cool to see them all flocked up. Normally this time of year here in central IL if you find one turkey you find a bunch. My guess is the food supply is decreased which congregates the birds near that food, and also to have more eyes watching for hungry predators whose food supply has also decreased. Once the weather breaks and the Toms and Jakes start searching for mates and then the hens start nesting they're much more elusive. Hope you get a repeat encounter with them!
Posted by Greg Lessard on February 11, 2011 at 8:19 PM
Hi Bill,
This is a very common behavior. I wrote a brief article about one of my encounters with turkeys in which they did a great job outsmarting me. You can read it here: http://www.greglessardphotography.com/-/greglessardphotography/article.asp?ID=4394
Ben Franklin was right about how smart these guys really are. I am still not sure that I would want them to be our national bird though.
I hope you get a chance for more photos of them in the future!
Bill,
I live in Illinois where we have a healthy population of Turkeys. It is not common to see turkeys roosting but they do it to stay safe at night. The other time to catch them roosting is after a good snowstorm when they are unable to use the ground. That is what happened with the attached photo.
Rick
Posted by Bill Maile on February 15, 2011 at 7:10 AM
Thank you everyone for the info, I guess I should have just looked it up first--or somehow known. ! Great article Greg, and very nice photo Rick. This was after a good snowy night, not at sunrise, but more like an hour and a half after... and I guess what really surprised me was the sheer number and proximity to the a heavily traveled road. Always learning, thanks!
Discussion
8 repliesThey scatter quickly, flying off a good distance... my question, is this normal behavior?? I've seen A LOT of turkeys in this area, but nothing like this. Too many branches, etc. to get a good shot, this is about the best I came out with. Thanks for any info!!
Turkeys roost in trees nightly for protection. They have strong legs and long spurs on the hindside of their legs to assist them in grasping branches. Many times they use the same areas, so you might see them around again. They're large birds, but fly better than you'd expect. I've spooked turkeys off the roost before in pre-dawn darkness and it'll make your heart skip a beat the first time it happens.
Thank you for the information!! Yes, I can imagine stumbling across a bunch of these unexpectedly, in low light, would be a rude "awakening"!!
Yep, pretty typical behavior.
This is a very common behavior. I wrote a brief article about one of my encounters with turkeys in which they did a great job outsmarting me. You can read it here: http://www.greglessardphotography.com/-/greglessardphotography/article.asp?ID=4394
Ben Franklin was right about how smart these guys really are. I am still not sure that I would want them to be our national bird though.
I hope you get a chance for more photos of them in the future!
I live in Illinois where we have a healthy population of Turkeys. It is not common to see turkeys roosting but they do it to stay safe at night. The other time to catch them roosting is after a good snowstorm when they are unable to use the ground. That is what happened with the attached photo.
Rick