The Turkey Bombers!

We have several flocks of turkeys that wander around here.  I don't really pay them much mind anymore, they do the "OOOOH, APPLES" or "OOOH, ACORNS" and I try not to bother them much.

Some of the rafters are more easily spooked than others, however...

This I found out when I went out earlier than usual to open the chicken house.  It wasn't dark, but it was that odd gloom between night and sunrise, which was accentuated by heavy, dark rain clouds. I walked out under the oak tree by our door, and heard some odd noises.  Kept walking, it's not unusual to have any kind of critter making noise early like that.  It's more normal for the quiet of the night to hear crickets, frogs, occasional owls, but animal sounds are no big deal.

As I was walking, I noticed the pathway was strewn with poo.  Oh, terrific.  I skipped around the land mines, needing to finish what I was doing so I could go to work.  I walked out, opened the chicken house, and fed.

Then I walked back to the house.

Whereupon, someone spooked! 

FLAFF FLAP FLAP CRASH, (Tink, crunch, rattle), SMUNK, SKRICK! SKRICK! SKRICK!

Basically, the first one dove off the branch, which then hit another branch, startling the next bird, who also took off, giving off an alarm call, whereupon they ALL took off, in different directions.  If that wasn't exciting enough, the tree is loaded with acorns, and as each one launched, they let down a hail of acorns, and it sounded much like a typewriter on meth! I wasn't under the tree, so I saw this explosion of birds coming out of the leaves in every direction, and a rainfall of acorns below...  This all happened in about 5 to ten seconds, then they all landed, turned around, looked at me, and then almost looked disappointed, like "We got out of bed for this?" 

I walked back to the house, and the rafter re-formed, in our back yard, but I have a sneaking suspicion I might need to do some cleaning of the front walk. 

Again...

Neighbors visiting... And back to the "shop".

Had a few visitors the other day...

We have avoided scaring these birds, they seem to keep the bug level down.  They seem to realize this, they will watch us, and make little nervous sounds when Rudee is out, but except when I have opened the door and they are on the porch (!), they don't scatter or fly, as a rule.  They just keep doing what they do.  

(Which, fortune would have it, hasn't included much doo, at least in the walkways...)

I was worried they would get into my garden, as one year they completely destroyed my shade garden, tore it to bits.  Turns out, they were going after seed dropped from the bird feeder.  I moved the feeder, no more problems.  And they never went into my vegetable garden, Husband and I kept track, but never found evidence of it.  

They seemed a bit shy when I came out with the camera and started taking photos, but once they figured out I wasn't going to walk to them, they settled a lot, and I think I took some fairly nice pics.  I don't know if they were wet, or if that is normal, but they looked glossy.  Almost as if they had oil on their feathers...  I think some of the old men birds are gone, we have looked, the males in the group are just starting to get blue wattles and beards.  One of our neighbors does not like turkeys, and calls Fish and Wildlife to have them moved.  I don't know if these birds have figured it out, (she lets her dogs roam "to keep the birds out"), or she just hasn't called yet.  We, as well as the neighbor across from us, would like the birds to stay, both for the enjoyment factor, as well as "bug patrol". 

Ah, life in the megalopolis... (HA!)

In other news, I was finally, after about a month and a half, able to go back to the substation (or, as informally known, the "cop shop") yesterday.  It was nice getting back, I started a newsletter, so I was busy most of the afternoon.  One of the deputies realized I was back, and I heard the broadcast radio click on to a country station.  (He's not a big Petty fan...)  I played some Junior Brown, Asleep at the Wheel, and Doc Watson, just for fun, and he looked rather oddly at the computer when he went by...  

Ah, and had a "regular" come in.  She comes in about once every month or two.  She complains about the same thing, I explain that it is a job for the State Police, because of where it's located.  I give her the phone for the State Police.  She thanks me, then leaves.  I am so curious if she ever actually CALLS the State Police...  I would guess not, since I see her so regularly.  At least she's polite, I guess.  Better than a lot of them I deal with.  I am not even sure if I am the only one that has dealt with her.  Somehow, it wouldn't surprise me if the whole lot of our volunteers have probably met her at some point...  

I picked one of the deputies brains about a story point, and I forget how often they have to deal with people's questions.  I started with "I hope this question makes sense".  He responded, "I'll work with what I get..."  with a big smile.  As it turned out, I was on the right track, and will be able to use the information he gave me in the story, which pleases me immensely.  We also swapped some personal stories about families, law, and less than legal doings in the community.  

It is nice to be back!