Wild Turkeys and Other Birds

Our friend, John, saw a wild turkey beside our pond near the house. This is the first time we have seen one so close to the house. Maybe they are reproducing and need to spread out. We had seen a group of holes in the yard that looked like they could have been made by a turkey looking for grubs. It looks like we were right about that.

An Eastern Phoebe has also taken up residence around the pond. Each winter one or two of them perches on dead sticks and the bluebird nest box, flicking their tails and hunting for insects. The Birds of Winter are here in our habitat. Birds like the Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, Brown-headed Nuthatches and Downy Woodpeckers travel in small groups throughout our habitat. The Ruby-crowned Kinglets love to eat the Poison Oak berries. Yesterday, we saw a Brown Creeper with the mixed flock. This is the first time that we have seen one in our habitat. A small flock of American Goldfinches (like the ones in the photo above with the female Purple Finches and Cardinal) in their fall plumage has arrived. They can really fool the new bird watchers because the fall plumage is so dull compared to the bright yellow of the male’s feathers during breeding.