Lurking Turkeys and Other Fauna of the Forest

It's been a bit of a wildlife wonderland out here in the country. Clearly, the fauna of the forest are starting to realize that Spring is upon us (thankfully) and they've been making their presence known.

Within the past 10 days, a flock of wild turkeys appeared one day - maybe two dozen of them - and thought the seed scattered on the ground around the two bird feeders was the perfect midday snack! The kitties thought they were HUGE! (They are.)

They first arrived when we were still totally snow covered, but it has been warming up gradually and the snows have started to recede. It's just here and there now, but the shot below was taken a few days ago, when the gang came out to see the latest items on the lawn menu. This represents only about half of the birds...they were all around. Fun to see and watch.

Here's another shot under the hanging feeder just outside the window taken a week or so ago.

Of course, no sooner had the turkeys returned to the "house on the hill" (as I call my country abode), I spied a red fox - yes, a red fox - in the yard one evening after sundown. Clever thing. I'm sure where the turkeys go, the fox is sure to follow. S/he returned twice more - the next night and a day or two later, always after dark. (I did a quick kitty head count each time, just to be safe!) I tried to get a photo, of course, but, alas, it was too dark.

Several days later, two raccoons also were checking out the leftovers around the bird feeder after dark one night. On another evening, a scruffy-looking opossum was perusing the offerings. The word obviously is out in the local animal kingdom that there's an all-night buffet up here on the hill!

Spring is coming!