Re: [gardeners] Early onset to fall in an L.A. Garden

George Shirley (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Thu, 12 Oct 2000 11:21:34 -0500 

Are you absolutely certain these were not wild turkeys? Wild turkeys are slowly
coming back in much of their former range and, other than buzzards, are the only
large bird I can think of. Buzzards don't usually walk around on the ground
either.

George

penny x stamm wrote:
> 
> Hi, David and Ron and all -- in spite of the 39* nights, we have not
> had our first freeze as yet -- and we are several hours north of
> you, David!
> 
> This morning as I stared out the kitchen window, I nearly broke my
> nose on the window ---- there were 6 enormous birds, positively
> larger than a turkey, slowly ambling across the rear lawn, and
> stopping here and there for a peck at some hidden insect below...
> 
> I yelled for Jimmie, and he yelled for the camera, so I did attempt
> to photograph them. My film speed of 100 was not adequate,
> however, since a flash was called for and my flash would never have
> reached them, but we'll see. When I opened the back door to get
> a better picture, they looked up at me, stood stock still, and then
> went back to their slow amble.  Totally nonchalant.
> 
> They were dark brown in coloration -- I think the wings (which were
> folded back) were darker than the body, not sure. But HUGE . . . .
> There was something white about each head, but I am confused as
> to just where it was.
> 
> A month or so ago, we saw a parade of a mother bird and her six
> progeny crossing our front lawn.  She was definitely leading them.
> When they reached the curb, she stepped off and they kinda
> jumped off, and then the little ones scampered like bats out of
> Hades to reach the other side, as if she had told them to beware of
> cars. It was very funny!  The truth probably was that they did not
> like the feel of the road surface ...  We suspect that they have been
> nesting inside the shell of a house which has been abandoned
> for 4 months in the midst of a reconstruction, and not one of us
> knows the story...
> 
> The whole covey walked slowly from left to right across my
> rather large lawn, and then 5 of them took the stone path thru
> the bushes, turned left around the tall spruce, and disappeared.
> They should have gotten rather locked in back there, but they never
> came out.  The 6th one finally decided to follow them, and walked
> right smack thru the large impatiens bed, smash, smash, then
> tangled with the low fencing I keep behind the bed to deter the
> small varmints from unnecessary trampling. Funny thing -- I had
> looked out the window in the first place to see if that impatiens
> bed had been hit by a frost yet, and noticed that the flowers were
> definitely shrinking down -- so I didn't come after that monster
> bird with a carving knife . .
> 
> Penny, NY  zone 6
> 
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