A peculiar virtue in wildlife ethics is that the hunter ordinarily has no gallery to applaud or disapprove of his conduct. Whatever his acts, they are dictated by his own conscience, rather than that of onlookers. It is difficult to exaggerate the importance of this fact. - Aldo Leopold

Sunday, October 7, 2012

A Flock Of Turkeys

A flock of wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) visited our water dish in late September. They're actually a sub-species, Rio Grande Wild Turkey, native to Texas.

I count 10 birds in the photo and that seems like a good sized flock to me! A couple of them are at the water dish, near the rainwater collector and the rest are foraging in the area. The 50 gallon tank is full right now because of the recent rains and it's good to see them making use of it.

I think they're all female but it hard to be sure since I can't see all of their heads. Based on their relative sizes, though, I think it's a good guess.

I've read that in a foraging flock, like this one, the birds will take turn being lookouts. While most are scratching or eating, a couple will be looking out for danger. That seems to be what's happening here. The near one is looking right at the camera. I wonder what it thinks?

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