Turkeys a'courtin'

Wild Turkey Mating

As days get longer, (March and April) this signals the beginning of the turkey mating season. I was so lucky to find a few groups of turkeys today (in Amherst and New Boston) in full courting mode. I got some really great shots!

This male Wild Turkey is displaying for the female.

During mating season, the male will erect his tail and spread it like a fan. His wattles are more brightly colored and will swell. He will puff out his feathers and droop or even drag his wings.

This male is strutting around making gobbling sounds.

All males operate through a rigid pecking order. The dominant male mates the most.

After a male finishes mating with one hen, he immediately looks for another.

Since males are not worrying about taking care of any newborns, they have plenty of time to preen and strut.

http://camera-critters.blogspot.com/

Turkey in the Trees...

Well, I've heard of  'Turkey in the Straw' but had to stop and get a few shots of these Turkey in the Trees...

...Amherst, NH.

http://camera-critters.blogspot.com/

Barn Charm 74...on the Bedford/Merrimack line...

I saw this barn in Bedford driving to Merrimack....

It was a 'drive-by' as you can see in a wider angle...

This lack of a proper winter is fine with the wild turkeys....

...they look good and healthy!

To see more barns from all over, visit  http://bluffareadaily.blogspot.com/

Wild Turkey

I came upon a rafter of turkeys and some appeared upset. It seems half of the group had already crossed the road and the others were anxious to get to the other side...

Wild turkeys totally disappeared from New Hampshire 150 years ago because of habitat loss and the lack of a fish and game department to regulate hunting seasons. N.H. Fish and Game began transplanting wild turkeys into the state in 1969-70 (this initial effort failed), then again in 1975. Today the population is estimated at upwards of 25,000 birds. Turkeys are now present in every county in New Hampshire.

Wild turkeys aren't territorial. They travel over 4 to 5 square miles during the year, although during the winter and nesting season they often restrict their movements within 100-200 acres. Turkeys are active during the day, roosting in trees from sundown until sunrise. Wild turkeys take advantage of different habitats throughout the year based on their food and nesting needs.

The idea that Benjamin Franklin preferred the turkey as the national bird of the United States comes from a letter he wrote to his daughter Sarah Bache on January 26, 1784, criticizing the choice of the Bald Eagles as the national bird and suggesting that a turkey would have made a better alternative.