Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Turkey Trot

On the way home yesterday, I decided to take the slow way home through Devil's Hammock. The days have finally gotten hot here, and I was too early in the day at 4:00 pm for prime time animal movement, but I went anyway.

The hammock was hot and dusty with vanishing waterholes that ripple with desperate aquatic creatures trying to stay wet, and avoid a whole host of predators that have focused on these food concentrators. If I had been dressed for it, I would have staked out a particular wiggly puddle that would almost certainly have some interesting visitors later in the day.

Not being able to get my work shoes muddy was cramping my style, but at least I was in the woods for a change. I continued on in the JEEP, bouncing quickly through dry pinelands, and slowing to search through the few damp areas that are left.

Just as I rounded a corner, a flock of wild turkey poults and their hen crossed the road and into the woods. I jumped out and followed for a few seconds of video, but I broke off the pursuit pretty quick.

I didn't want to pursue them too much as scattering the chicks might cause their demise ... so it's only a fleeting glimpse we see of the worried hen in the video.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

FC-
Thunder and I saw a lot of Turkey when we were down there!
Lightnin

SophieMae said...

Don't blink, lol! Good on ya for getting that much! When you get a chance, check out my new header. 8-]

nfmgirl said...

Was that a turkey, or a Skunk Ape? LOL

Florida Beach Basics said...

hope you are getting some of the rain today. you probably know the answer to this - I'm working on a post about fanned out fish beds that are now above water - will any of the eggs survive if the beds do not dry out completely and if they are submerged again fairly quickly?

amarkonmywall said...

Fleeting is right, but what fun. Turkeys really are dumb as paste- we used to have a group of five wild ones that flopped around the Ann Arbor yard. That cats were totally flummoxed to see such goofy giant birds.

I'm about to head over to the Brinkman website- I'm already thinking about such items for the Asheville house. And then there's the outdoor wood burning pizza/bread oven...