Monday, August 23, 2010

TeenTurkeys . . . and a Winner!


 June 26th -- the two turkey hens and their mingled brood of around 14 poults visit our feeder. 

Since then I've been enjoying watching them grow and they've gotten pretty used to my darting out onto the deck to take their picture.
 
They've been almost daily visitors  -- this was yesterday evening. You can see that they are nearly the size of their mamas -- the two  on the far right. 

There seem to be only 9 poults left -- but that's a pretty good survival rate, considering how many predators are on the mountain.
Handsome birds with elegant plumage -- and there's one pale one.  Almost all the turkey flocks we've seen on the mountain in the past include one or two near-white birds.
But here I am nattering on about turkeys when what I need to do is to announce the winner of the drawing for KILLER RECIPES -- which if you didn't win, you could always order HERE,

Remember, all  proceeds  to the American Cancer Society!  

And the winner is . . .
l
(Drumroll) Debra Eisert!!! And then I drew again and that second winner is NCmountainwoman!!!

I'll put those cookbooks in the mail this week -- but first I need addresses. You winners, please email me at
vicki_laneYOUKNOW WHAT TO PUT HEREmtnareaDOTnet
 
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19 comments:

Marilyn & Jeff said...

I have enjoyed viewing all of your turkey photos and i am intrigued with your mentions of the mountains - it sounds as though you are living in a free and wild place. Fabulous.

Wonky Girl said...

Enjoyed your pics and natterings about turkeys :)

Unknown said...

I have included a pic of turkeys on my blog..I enjoyed yours so much. Are turkeys native birds of America? In NZ they are introduced of course. I love the look of your mountain. I lived for 30 years at the foot of Mt Pirogia and found living by a mountain very special.

Martin said...

Great to see the turkeys coming along, Vicki. Which predators are most prevalent in the mountains?

Oh, and congratulations to the winners of the draw. Happy cooking!

Friko said...

Interesting post on the turkeys. It's amazing that I know somebody (virtually) who lives in the Appalachian mountains, an area I am beginning to know from many novels, yours included.

Pat in east TN said...

Congratulations to the winners!

Interesting seeing the turkeys grow and pretty good, I'd say, that 9 are still left out of the 14. I don't see as many turkeys here as I did when I lived in NC, and don't remember seeing near-white birds.

Kath said...

What a treat to see the poults. We have turkeys all over our lot, but I've never seen the young ones. Thank you.

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

Congratulations to the winners. I can't get over how many turkeys you have Vicki, including such young ones. They must really trust you to bring their young ones to visit.

We see adult turkeys in fields from time to time, but mostly this year in our neighborhood we've seen a lot of deer, including very young ones.
Sam

Vicki Lane said...

Marilyn- it's only wild-ish. We are in an area of what used to be small mountainside subsistence farms. Many are going back to the wild, therefore there's lots of cover for the turkeys and such.

Thanks, Wonky Girl!

Joan, yes, turkeys are native here. Love seeing their cousins in your backyard on the other side of the world.

We are about 2000 feet up a 2500 foot mountain. Not a big one but still a mountain!

We have foxes, possums, raccoons, weasels, coyotes, blacksnakes, hawks, and the occasional bear, Martin. Last night one of these got that lone chicken we'd left out
due to her inability to get along with the other chickens.

And I'm delighted to have virtual friends all over! England has always had a special spot in my heart.

I think the two moms have done well to raise that many!

Tess Kincaid said...

Your young turkeys are so handsome. Cheers to the lucky winners!

Elora said...

I am curious about the lighter grey turkey...our "domesticated" wild ones (non-sequiter)are all dark, like all of yours except the one, Vicki. Or perhaps it was simply the lighting that gave the impression of its being of a lighter coloration...?

Elora

Congrats to the winners!!

Deanna said...

Congratulations to the lucky winners! Love the turkey photos. They wander through our woods often but never stay around long enough for a photo op.

Brian Miller said...

some great shots of the turkeys! hope none of the predators come calling...and congrats tot he winner!

Louise said...

Congratulations to the winners! I envy you your young turkeys, Vicki. We only had one last year, and I haven't seen any this year. I hope that there are some being raised back in the woods, and that they will be out soon. The Turkey Ladies will be getting too old to breed soon.

Vicki Lane said...

Elora -- the light turkey is truly light -- kind of pale gray.

These turkeys are becoming very used to the bird feeder and to me. One hen seems very tame but the other takes off if I get too near.

Reader Wil said...

Those wildbirds are almost tame aren't they? They are probably eating out of your hand!
Lovely pictures! Have a great week, Vicki!

gayle said...

Love the pictures of your turkeys and yard!!

NCmountainwoman said...

Oh, THANK YOU! I can't wait to try that pound cake.

Tipper said...

So neat that you've gotten to watch them grow : )

Congrats to the winners!