# Newest Visitor to our Yard



## paphreek (Jul 7, 2006)

Julie got some pictures of this bird, who, according to Ben Franklin, should have been our national bird. Julie had to take these pictures through the window because these guys tend to be wary.


----------



## silence882 (Jul 7, 2006)

Wow very cool to see one of those in the yard.

So how'd he taste?

--Stephen


----------



## Heather (Jul 7, 2006)

My mom has a whole troup of these that hang around every winter. We had them where I used to work also, quite a few of them. Here they are much more common than they were when I was younger. I have yet to see one in Boston though.


----------



## Marco (Jul 7, 2006)

gobble gobble.....looks like thanksgivings early at the paphfreek residence oke:


----------



## Rick (Jul 7, 2006)

The NE Native Americans call this the "give away" bird since it was such a staple food species (It gives up its life for the humans..considered a most noble thing to do). I think that was the conection that Ben Franklin was interested in capitalizing on, and also added to the turkey being so symbolic with Thanksgiving.

It is a very cool bird, and there are tons around where I live in TN (almost to pest proportions).


----------



## Tikva (Jul 7, 2006)

Heather said:


> My mom has a whole troup of these that hang around every winter. We had them where I used to work also, quite a few of them. Here they are much more common than they were when I was younger. I have yet to see one in Boston though.





I noticed that too Heather. I never saw a turkey when I was a kid. Now they are everywhere. All no snow year long....


----------



## SlipperFan (Jul 7, 2006)

Ben was right about a lot of things, but I'm glad he didn't get his way on this one.


----------



## paphreek (Jul 8, 2006)

Tikva said:


> I noticed that too Heather. I never saw a turkey when I was a kid. Now they are everywhere. All no snow year long....



What's interesting is that I believe that we live quite a bit farther north than the turkey's original range. I think the turkey's range in Minnesota was limitted to the Southeastern hardwood forest before it was introduced into areas north of Mpls/St. Paul.


----------



## Gideon (Jul 8, 2006)

Heather said:


> My mom has a whole troup of these that hang around every winter. We had them where I used to work also, quite a few of them. Here they are much more common than they were when I was younger. I have yet to see one in Boston though.



Awesome...we have a whole troup of these that hang around our supermarkets around Xmas too. oke:


----------



## Heather (Jul 8, 2006)

SlipperFan said:


> Ben was right about a lot of things, but I'm glad he didn't get his way on this one.



Just think, we could have been eating eagles for x-mas dinner....

Gideon - Hahaha...


----------



## Rick (Jul 8, 2006)

paphreek said:


> What's interesting is that I believe that we live quite a bit farther north than the turkey's original range. I think the turkey's range in Minnesota was limitted to the Southeastern hardwood forest before it was introduced into areas north of Mpls/St. Paul.



There have been allot of private and state sponsored programs to breed and release turkeys in many parts of the US, so a range extension within a state would not be too unlikely.

Turkeys have gotten so common in middle TN that they are doing catch and release programs here.


----------



## SlipperFan (Jul 8, 2006)

We have lots of turkeys here in mid-Michigan. And I'm not even talking about state government...


----------

