‘Tis now the season for the Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo). I have been regularly spotting a couple of groups lately, one with around 18 individuals and another with around 8. Here is one bird passing through on a showery and cloudy afternoon. It is hard to believe how rapidly the species has expanded in many areas in the last couple of decades. Is their population increase partially responsible for a decrease in some woodlands herpetofauna? I posted a great deal about Timber Rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus) this summer, and would you believe this very turkey is a potential rattlesnake predator?! While Timber Rattlesnakes are unjustly feared and labeled as vicious (they are passive, docile creatures) they may be gobbled up by hungry Wild Turkeys while they are growing neonates, like other small snake species. Wild Turkeys may also feed on many different amphibians. Nature is a very delicate balance and our environment is an extremely intricate food web.
