Ok, well, I have to share this. It was really pretty awesome.
So I was driving into town, and saw a Wild mother turkey crossing the road ahead. She was surrounded by a constellation of chicks. They picked their slow way across, and I slowed down nearly to a stop.
Thanks to some fairly recent posts on this forum, I glanced back in the ditch from the side they had come and saw a baby stuck there, running down the ditch! I stopped the car, and hopped out. It is a fairly busy road, and there was water IN the ditch. Mom seemed to be heading off into the brush with the rest of the enormous brood. So.. when I got to the ditch I saw there were actually TWO stuck there. I'm not sure what I was planning on doing at this point, since I was really afraid mom was going to wander off. Anyway, chicks spotted me and started a VERY panicky peeping. Mom heard! She stopped where she was, just behind tree line on opposite side of the road. The entire time this was all going on she kept up a constant GAB gub gub gub. The chicks in the ditch were running for their poor little lives.
Anyway, I herded one baby out of the ditch and it dashed into the road. I herded it toward it's mom (who at this point wasn't so sure about me, so came a bit closer, still calling her babies and staring at me like she'd like to attack). When that baby was finally across the road <and I had muttered under my breath to mom "don't attack me!">, I turned my attention back to baby #2, who had lodged itself into a thick stand of ferns. Well, it shot out the other side, and headed across to mom, too, who at this point apparently decided I WASN'T so dangerous. She hadn't really moved, and still called, but was no longer staring at me.
Anyway, Both babies back with mom, and all happy (including me!). What a wonderful experience to be that close, and to feel like MAYBE I helped them a little.. if only by keeping them from being hit by a passing car.
Just wanted to share.
-Meghan
So I was driving into town, and saw a Wild mother turkey crossing the road ahead. She was surrounded by a constellation of chicks. They picked their slow way across, and I slowed down nearly to a stop.
Thanks to some fairly recent posts on this forum, I glanced back in the ditch from the side they had come and saw a baby stuck there, running down the ditch! I stopped the car, and hopped out. It is a fairly busy road, and there was water IN the ditch. Mom seemed to be heading off into the brush with the rest of the enormous brood. So.. when I got to the ditch I saw there were actually TWO stuck there. I'm not sure what I was planning on doing at this point, since I was really afraid mom was going to wander off. Anyway, chicks spotted me and started a VERY panicky peeping. Mom heard! She stopped where she was, just behind tree line on opposite side of the road. The entire time this was all going on she kept up a constant GAB gub gub gub. The chicks in the ditch were running for their poor little lives.
Anyway, I herded one baby out of the ditch and it dashed into the road. I herded it toward it's mom (who at this point wasn't so sure about me, so came a bit closer, still calling her babies and staring at me like she'd like to attack). When that baby was finally across the road <and I had muttered under my breath to mom "don't attack me!">, I turned my attention back to baby #2, who had lodged itself into a thick stand of ferns. Well, it shot out the other side, and headed across to mom, too, who at this point apparently decided I WASN'T so dangerous. She hadn't really moved, and still called, but was no longer staring at me.
Anyway, Both babies back with mom, and all happy (including me!). What a wonderful experience to be that close, and to feel like MAYBE I helped them a little.. if only by keeping them from being hit by a passing car.
Just wanted to share.
-Meghan
