SPRING DISPLAY

It is late March, the snow has melted and it is time to get back to work in the garden. Raking leaves from beneath the birch we find daffodils emerging from the soil. We hear new sounds of returning birds and see a great blue heron fly over the tree tops. These are all signs of spring that we wait for here in New Hampshire.......and then there are the wild turkeys! In our yard turkeys often roost in the tall pines at dusk which is a spectacle to watch. Turkeys are not graceful flyers, they fly like overloaded cargo planes, heavy and cumbersome with wildly flapping wings. Watching this take-off it is hard to believe that they will reach upper limbs of tall pine trees, but so far in our observations these large birds have made it every time.
Each spring , as we crack open windows we begin to hear the gobble of turkeys, male turkeys. Through our windows we watch a group gather, both male and female. The 'toms' gobble and strut in full display trying to out do one another. This ritual is a sight, the male turkeys in full dress, with feathers fanned and bright blue heads, all to attract the attention of the females. The females often seem to feign indifference to these persistent courtship attempts!

Next time you see an image of a turkey in full display, it is not just about the decoration on the cranberry sauce jar.....the display is all about something else!. Yes, despite the apparent female

indifference, we will see chicks in June.

Spring has arrived in New Hampshire

Spring has arrived here in New Hampshire!