A century of Turkey talk 2000-2100.

[R2elk]

I have had My heritage display while they rub the ground instead of a hen.
@GravityWaves

If I remember correctly, Ralphie's would do soccer balls.

 

[Molpet]

If I remember correctly, Ralphie's would do soccer balls.

I had one that broke several green waterers

 

[GravityWaves]

I hope I didn't sound too ignorant. lol I saw someone else mention that but didn't want to automatically think that's what it was. The turkeys know where the cameras are and I catch them showing off sometimes. I also got a buck peeing on this camera, too. What's wrong with these animals!?

 

[I Like Turkeys]

Does anyone know what this tom is doing displaying while laying down? I've always been interested in wild turkeys and I've learned a lot the past couple years by watching the trail cam pics and videos, but I've never seen this behavior before? He's in an all-male group.

I had a domestic jake do this once. It definitely didn’t look or sound like he was trying to seduce the ground, but I could’ve just noticed him after he’d done so.

 

[R2elk]

What's wrong with these animals!?

They are animals. There is nothing wrong with them. They do what comes naturally to them, not what people think they should do.

 

[Bantambird]

It looks like a Sharp-shinned Hawk. Although they have several color morphs, Merlins generally have breasts with dark streaks. Adult Cooper's and Sharp-shinned Hawks both have the distinctive darker backs with the reddish orange barring on the breast, but a Cooper's should be noticeably larger than a Merlin.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Sharp-shinned_Hawk/id

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Merlin/id

that is cool, I just tried looking up raptors that had breast stripes and were very small and it definitely caught chickadees right in the air. It has come back with a mate for the last 2 years, although it doesn't nest where I can see, it and sometimes it's mate make the rounds clearing my barn of chickadees. It leaves the pigeons alone, because it is only a little bigger than a pigeon. It very well could be a sharp shinned hawk. I would like it to eliminate more chickadees and starlings. I wish it was big enough to clear out the pigeons. The turkeys sure tried to "sneak" up on it. When it shows up during the daytime after all the turkeys come down from the rafters, they make racket but don't bother it.

 

[Huntmaster]

The coopers' hawks that used nest here are very good hunters they hunt as a team at times around my bird feeders. One will swoop down and flush everything around the feeders in a panic and the other will swoop in not seen and nab something right out of the air like @Bantambird said. I also watch them sit high up in the trees watching small birds feeding on the ground and just drop straight down silently with no wing beats right on top of unsuspecting birds pinning them to the ground. So very efficient at getting what they need to feed their young and themselves. Always fun to watch them teaching their young to hunt but since the crows moved in 2 years ago, they don't nest right here on the farm they are now across the street in the Cemetery and don't hunt here near as much as they used to but still sneak in when they can.

 

[Huntmaster]

Have 3 to 4 hens laying now up to 8 to 10 eggs so far, 2 laying in different breeding pens and I believe 2 laying in the shed. Marked and left a few eggs in 2 of the 3 nests they are using that I made them in the shed. Hoping a hen will go broody early in the shed, so we will see how it goes.

 

[R2elk]

 

[Huntmaster]

That is one sassy sweetgrass hen all worked up and telling that young jake to mind his manners and get in his place. Then boss slate hen telling her to leave them boys alone. Tis the season.