I live in the inner city but this street has back yards, and a family of scrub turkeys live in the back yard of the house over the road. They are native and all Australian natives are protected. This is the only thing saving these fuckers from Sunday dinner*. Did someone mention a “hunting season”? Could we have one of those over here, do you think?
Scrub turkeys find food by raking mulch and dirt. They particularly like doing this around the roots of seedlings. As in, seedlings I have just planted. If said seedlings, are replaced, they rip them out again. If I put a barrier around the seedlings, they rip and claw at the barrier until it falls over (if I’m not vigilant) and then rip the seedling out.
They also like to rake the content of tidy mulched plant beds out onto pathways. They slowly claw embankments in the direction that gravity likes to go. They rip up garden light wiring and irrigation lines. They are a effin’ menace, I tells ya.
Of course, it could be worse. Scrub turkeys are mound builders. The males build mounds of vegetation, and the female lays eggs in the mounds and the rotting vegetation keeps the eggs warm. I have not had the experience of having a male scrub turkey carefully rake every piece of mulch in the garden into a large mound in the centre of my lawn but others have.
Scrub turkeys, get off my lawn!
*Or maybe not. Recipe for cooking scrub turkey: place turkey and large stone in pot of boiling water. Simmer for 24 hours. Drain. Throw away scrub turkey and eat stone, it will be tastier and more tender.
Yes. It could be peacocks. They are noisy as hell and they multiply like rabbits. Fortunately, they’re mostly in Palos Verdes, so they don’t bother me much.
Anyone know a recipe for peacocks? One that doesn’t require a stone?
You gave me a goof laugh-the Scottish capercaillie is a relative of the turkey-but its favorite food is pine tree buds! I’m told SOME people have tried to cook and eat these things-they (apparently) taste like chicken marinated in tyurpentine! :smack:
Turkeys. I have lived in BFE long enough to know a turkey from a pheasant, peacock or other bird-like entities. Since they were such an odd colouring, I asked my FIL (who is an AVID turkey hunter) and he said they’re pretty common in some areas, just unusual around here. Meh…
As for peacocks, although our neighbors (Lithubby’s cousins) have some, they’re pretty unobtrusive. We hear them sometimes, and they are loud as hell. We are trying to get at least 1 peacock, though, since they do eat snakes, and the last time I came within 12" of stepping on a 6’ rattle snake pretty much convinced me that peacocks are worth their annoyances if for no other reason than their preference for tender yummy snakemeat!
We’re also looking for guineas, since it was a mild winter and the ticks will be out of control again. I’m just sayin’, in case any TN dopers have more than they want/need.