The Juniper Hill Turkey Flock

 The Juniper Hill Turkey flock has been scratching up the forest floor around Juniper Hill for AT LEAST a year and a half now. I had my fourth encounter with their members a couple of days ago. I had really been searching for deer antlers, encouraged by the tiny shed I found earlier in the week. I worked my way through the tangle, stopping every single time I found evidence of deer. 

After giving up, I heard footsteps, and when I looked closer, I noticed a little, dark figure ripping up the leaf litter, searching for food, and then I noticed another... and another ... and another. In February, the insects, ticks, spiders, and worms they would usually feed on are all in hibernation. Rather than scratching at grassy areas to search for insects like they do in summer, the turkeys start scratching at leaf litter, searching for mast (mostly in the form of acorns).As the spooked birds started moving down the hill, I sat down and tried my best to take non-blurry photos on my smartphone. I DEFINITELY should've brought my scope...

  

Mating has already sort-of begun. I kept hearing a distant male gobbling over and over again. Female turkeys will start laying eggs as early as March, and I realized the group was divided into pairs once they relaxed. The woods at Juniper Hill will be home to a few baby turkeys "poults" this Spring. One of the pairs got comfortable with my presence fast, and resumed looking for acorns.