Turkey Population to be thinned

So I was just informed that the city of Shoreview is going to have a meeting on Monday March 1st 2010 to discuss HOW the turkey flock will be reduced. Not if it will be reduced but how. I am surprised that the local turkey population is even an issue since i have only seen 1 lone male turkey in my neighborhood this winter. Apparently the turkeys have been congregating in Snail Lake Park (just south of me) and more specifically in a yard in the area where a resident has been feeding them. Other residents are complaining that the turkeys are damaging their property by flocking in trees, walking on roofs, and pooping in their yards. I understand that feeding the birds to the point that any one day you can find up to 30 of them in a single yard is troublesome and should be stopped, but killing the birds is not the answer.


Maybe i am just rooting for the turkeys because I was privileged to have a pair nest in the neighbors yard and raise 7 baby turkeys and got to watch them grow up over the summer.



I wont be able to attend the meeting because i have to work... stupid work.

Heres some articles (the 2nd and 3rd have video) about the turkeys

http://www.presspubs.com/articles/2010/02/26/shoreview_press/news/doc4b841669db561458098415.txt

http://www.twincities.com/news/ci_14474071?source=rss&nclick_check=1

http://kstp.com/news/stories/s1434362.shtml

Silly Squirrel

I love that no matter how "squirrel proof" a bird feeder can claim to be the squirrels always figure out a way to get the seed.

So far this week

Monday i saw this hawk. I guess its a broadwinged hawk.



Then Tuesday it snowed.


And the A red bellied woodpecker hung on the birdfeeder with the cracked corn

Poor squirrel

One of the squirrels in my yard appears to have been attacked by something. I have no idea by what but poor guy has a big chunk of fur missing. I also think it lost an eye.



Yesterday i took some pics when i went for a walk.


A birds nest in the cat tails and reeds inthe middle of the marsh.


Some kind of black bird



The view from the far side of the marsh. My backyard is dead center in the distance.


Pretty sky


Goldfinch

Turkey tracks

Every so often when im out for a walk i scare up the lone turkey that is living on the other side of the marsh. Even though i didnt get a picture of the turkey itself (cause well i didnt even see it till i heard it flap its wings and take off) but i got some pics of its tracks and wing print in the snow from where i took off from.





Three flaps of the wings and it was off. I hope that this spring/summer the turkeys hang out in my yard again.


And here is 2 pictures of the sun going down.

Frosty

So last night i heard that there would be dense fog in the area. I didnt think much of it until around 830pm when i went on the back deck to have a smoke and watched as the lights across the marsh disappeared. It was pretty neat. This morning when i got up around 7am outside was frosted over. It was beautiful.






And heres a Dark-eyed junco

Great Horned Owls

Well the owls are definitely across the marsh tonight. I cant see them but I sure can hear them. And this time I am certain there is 2 of them. I am sure its a male and a female since one call is significantly deeper than the other. The owls are hooting continuously and pretty much hooting over each other. I want to go out on the ice and look for them but i know (from past experience) that i am likely a)not to see them at all and they will stop hooting or b) i will see them but only as they fly to a new perch farther away from me. I wish there were a way to let the animals know i am not here to hurt you or compete for food i just want to watch you do your thing. I hope the animals will return to be unafraid (or maybe they were somehow just unaware of me) as they were this summer. Where i could work in the garden or just sit in the yard and be within 10-15 yards (and sometimes less) of rabbits, hawks, squirrels, turkey, deer and foxes. I know that for their safety they should be uneasy of us humans, but I wish they could know that I am different, I have no want or need to cause them harm.