The Wild Turkey family has been visiting our yard every day for almost 2 weeks now, and in that time the five poults have almost doubled in size.
Only mom shows up with the babies now. They meander all over the yard like kids on a field trip until mom signals it’s time to go, and then then they immediately dart after her. Anyone left behind quickly turns on the after-burners to catch up to the other siblings.
Mom isn’t so afraid of me anymore. In fact if I walk calmly and deliberately toward the family with a cup full of shelled sunflowers seeds and toss them on the ground ahead of me, mom comes running and the babies follow. They peck and scratch at the grass as I back away.
Eventually mom stops eating and announces that she’s moving on and they fall in behind her.
Sometimes the family arrives during the hottest part of the day. Mom prefers a spot under a giant oak tree. She usually positions herself half in the shade and half in the sun and the babies always choose the sunnier half. They all pile up next to her and preen or take a nap.
Before they leave our yard they usually head for the birdbaths that I placed under some arborvitae shrubs. They take a drink, and sometimes the babies take a quick bath.
Very soon these fluffballs will be too big for the birdbaths:
