HomeMy WebLinkAboutNovember 25, 2004 - Heading for the westward hills The Su(folk Times • November 25, 2004
• •
lvin
an s
0
r e ur e
,, „ , �, , �, , , �„ �, � ° „��„.
�vr,; , �+,� � �, �,.�'�,k �4�,µ,,�u, u a'�p,,,�a,�, ,�+�� � �u
�'��V6'�� y ii �lN� � ��In Y�l , �y . �'' �, �,"
� �, ta�i���v , u �an �;�'� ���i wl'w � dw�r�,�N���� � ". �,�..
, � ' �� ' !hmNid n �� �y ' �
,���� ��,
����"� , � ��il��""�j ��;� , � �I"�
� �d "�'h ^ i� � ����
h����lr�ir������lry�(ri i; 1�,, " �� . � ,
,� l� ili��hFv y���dN n�
� lS��l� ���ll��� �,9✓ �n�'�"mi� i :.
I
�9�1� rv��. �l,������/��i a ���, '� �� �iw � , �ti�
�
� �� a / i��� �� ��� � ��� ��ti�
� '
i *
t �!aV k ii n�� � t i� ��
. � "
,`s`, �� �
µ ' ..,m� ., � ' a � �,�," ��
� � � .'�'�'� i� n w �' �i �� �u/��4�"
�� �� � �� � ,��� ��Y "
/�/ !��4 '�:,r�;�„ ; •� �� '. �'L• . ' `a, s-1 s; �� �..:.�" � _'.$�� r�.. .,5�. {p,,v ���.
., r ,�ry ri a n+�� -" �� , .
v�q{
� �.
�� �"� '� i, �.r �` A�a'� '� ��� � ,��^d�i°.,
. '� '� �,l '� �,�,�1"�"t W nin
��i i; l�l�hll'I�� � ,����� �I����/7r�i (����� i���lii����i�i�����, � `}j~� , '�• �r� � �rrY4up�
i
l il i��09� � h� h �I �/� ��I� . .
lI l.. r �' i l l; l u 1 % u l h� N I i;'irv��i�hi l���µ�l /��II dCl �.� w,. �p,�,.
� ,! � � �� 1,.� a�l l l � l � . . ,v�' �.
ii( . l� � � I l i�� � i ��i n �il� i i��i��l�l�l��l - � ,
4� i JI
i a911�l� � � �,, � ��� � l�,�1/��'il���� � / � �r,i �'l������i� � �� ,µ �. � . ..��
w ru � i �i � i ryr ir �,
!
�� �
l ��l ri �a
��'� � ����� '��,���'� ,�' � ���������������/u��' llmes/Review pho[os by Paul Stniitenburch
,�� � i��''�i ('" ��J r� � '�
� ,�
��������'��� �� ����� Left: Young turkeys are masters of camou-
flage and champion runners when necessary.
It took two of us to catch this young (poult)
turkey. Notice the size of the feet. They are
most important for scratching and turning
, , � � , ,, over leaves for insects and seeds. Above: A
w,k, wild °tom° turkey struts his stuff in hopes of
� 'd,��' ;, " ' , ;���p� ��," M�'"��° y; winning over one more "hen" turkey.
�n%y��qu� , .��� ���r� I ����h,��.,.�i{ i'fi' ..� W�W�°�I�� ��y� �
1'ound turke s abundant t rou hout ma e surc t e�r wi tur eys would
rvE oF THF Nice things about writ- Y g be able to make it on their own.
in this column each week is the the land but as time went on and the
g countr ex anded,with its clearin of By 1957 turkey�-were again a part
input we get from our readers. Y P g of the New York landscape.This suc-
Whether it's a letter or telephone call land and the uncontrolled hunting cess story was'partially due to the fact
or an e-mail,there's always some- pressure,turkeys slowly disappeared that many�f the small farms in the
thin new comin in.Man of our from our state.By 1844 the last
g g Y state were abandoned,letting the
calls have been from people who turkey was taken in southwestern once-open farmland revert to natural
have sighted what they think might New York.Then almost 100 years growth.
be turkeys in their back yard and,this later,in the late '40s,turkeys started And so those people who thought
being an appropriate time of the year to move north from Pennsylvania they saw wild turkeys wandering
for turkeys,I into the state,where they once again through their back yard were exactly
thought it might became established. right.They were wild turkeys that had
FOGV$ be fun to sort of It was during that year that the probably been released by the DEC.
ON reminisce a little Department of Environmental Some people who liked to see
bit about our Conservation (DEC) started to relo- turkeys about thought they would
NATURE favorite cate turkeys throughout the state. help by raising some and releasing
by Paul Thanksgiving They didn't just indiscriminately drop them into the wild.Sounded good,
Stoutenburg'h bird. off turkeys here and there;they locat- but it's against the law to release
— We'rc told that ed areas that had good feeding turkeys into the wild because turkeys
the firsl settlers grounds and the proper habitat to
can fly at speeds of up to 50 mph and is builL for survival in thc wild and is
run on the ground at 12 mph. much less plump,usually smaller,and
On our Christmas Bird Counts our designed for flying.No matter what
group covered the whole of shape or size or where you see a
Gardiners Island.We found a spot turkey,whether it's in Europe or Asia
down by Tobaccolot where turkeys or on a turkey farm,all turkeys origi-
roosted.They must go to that same nally came from the American stock
spot in the same tree every night; of our wild turkey.
there were pyramids of droppings Probably some of you have heard
underneath it. about the controversy over whether
Turkeys have done so well in many the symbol to represent our new
arc vcry suscc��t�� c to a w� e variety parts of the state that there is now a nation should have been an eagle or
of domcstic discases and the DEC special hunting season for them.A the turkey.Benjamin Franklin had his
doesn't want their disease-free wild hunter would be proud to be able to opinion.He favored the turkey and
turkeys coming in contact with possi- call in an old gobbler and bag it for his disliketl the idea of the eagle repre-
ble disease-carrying turkeys. Thanksgiving dinner.Turkeys are senting our nation."For my part,"he
I first became acquainted with the smart birds and it takes an expert declared,"I wish the eagle had not
wild turkey when i visited Gardiners hunter to be able to call one in range been chosen as the representative of
Island years ago for Audubon's annu of his gun.Wild turkeys are part of the this country.He is a bird of bad
al Christmas Bird Counts.I also saw group of such"game birds" moral character;he does no
thcm when i visited Mashomack,that 1s pheasants and grouse and get his living honestly.You
2,000�-acre Nature Conservanc re- quail,all of which can be A�� tt1!'�(@ S
Y P y may have seen him perched
serve on Shelter Island.There are legally hunted in season in originally
man difficulties facin oun certain places.However, �n some dead tree where,
y �y �' Came from too lazy to fish for himself,
turke s in the wild.One of the most turkeys cannot be hunted
y le all m he watches the labor of the
cominon causes of death is a persist- g y � Suffolk County. Alll@I"IC811 fishing hawk (osprey) and,
ent cold and rainy period that lasts Male turkeys (toms)weigh �OCk. when that diligent bird has
from 17 ounds u with
for days. P P� at length taken a fish and is
For the first three or four days some getting to 30 pounds. bearing it to the nest of his
after the young turkeys hatch,they '1'hat's a pretty big bird.The females young ones,the bald eagle pursues
live on the yolk in their new little (hens) are smaller,weighing from him and takes the fish.With all this
bodies,but then once that is gone, eight to 12 pounds. injustice,he is never a good choice."
they must be able to find food by Most everyone knows the turkey Some people have since questioned
themselves.Of course,the female is gobbler,with his tail spread as he whether the eagle would have been
always there to keep them together struts his stuff in front of the female chosen had the nation not been at
and to lead them to areas where they to gain her attention.One male can war at the time.Franklin argued that
are likely to find good cover and a have more than one female compan- the turkey would have been a more
place to feed. ion,and he's pretty busy keeping his appropriate symbol.The turkey was
The thing I remember particularly ladies from straying away. "a much more respectable bird and a
on Gardiners Island was how those The male has sharp spurs that can true native of America,"he pointed
big birds can fly.It seemed almost be two inches or more in length. out.Franklin conceded that the
impossible that they could get into These are used in fighting off adver- turkey was"a little vain and silly,"
the air and fly away.It is qmte a sigh saries. I have seen these spurs in but maintained that it was neverthe-
to see a turkey flying.They are agile action on my roosters.When the situ- less a"bird of courage."Congress
and swift fliers and don't hesitate to ation arises they throw their spurs up was not convinced,however.The
take to the air if they think they are in front of them and with much eagle became our national s mbol.
being cornered or can't get away by squabbling and feathers flying,they P.S.I wonder if when Benj min
running.IYs been reported that they go at it until one or the other has had Franklin signed the Declaration of
enough and turns tail and runs away. Independence he used a quill from a
The turkey that most of us will turkey.And by the way,Audubon
have for Thanksgiving is a domesti- thought so much of the turkey that it
cated turkey,meaning that it has was the first painting of his now
been bred for its shape,size,meat famous elephant-size prints.
and,I guess,looks.After all,we want �
a plum�,juicy bird when it comes to � Remember,you can contact us by e-
thc tabl�. In contrast,the wild turkey mail at focusnat@optonline.net.