With Thanksgiving happening this week, it's time to appreciate the Wild Turkey.  While most Thanksgiving dinner tables will feature its domesticated relative, the tradition of a turkey dinner came from times when much more food was provided by hunting wild animals.  Perhaps the most well-known admirer of the Wild Turkey was Benjamin Franklin, who campaigned for it to be the national symbol.  It fell just one vote short in Congress.  Such large birds are charismatic and have many admirers, both hunters and non-hunters.

A turkey flock regularly travels through our neighborhood, and the story is that the former owners of our house had an offer on the house a year before we bought it, but turned it down because of a comment from the would-be buyer about hunting turkeys.  We have a flock of 14 that has been seen off and on since this summer, and they have been coming more regularly this fall.  The flock appears to be made up of two broods with their mothers, who have been joined recently by a few more, including at least one tom.  They feed on seed beneath our feeders and in a neighbor's yard where seed is spread on the front walkway.  They also drink from our bird bath--standing on the ground and stretching their necks to reach the water.

Wild Turkeys  prefer oak savanna or woodland edges, with acorns being an important food source.  They also feed on all kinds of grain and other seeds, berries, other plant parts, insects, and the occasional frog, lizard, or snake.  Although they spend most of their time on the ground, Wild Turkeys can fly and often roost in trees at night.  Large oaks with spreading branches provide excellent roost trees, another reason oak savanna is one of their preferred habitats.

We held the Des Moines Christmas Bird Count on Saturday, 12/26.  The purpose is to tally all birds within a 15-mile diameter circle and report the results to the National Audubon Society.  This is very useful in monitoring bird population trends.  The Des Moines circle is centered at 63rd and University.  It basically runs from Saylorville Dam to Lake Colchester (north of Norwalk) and the I-80 rest stop to the fairgrounds.  The Des Moines CBC has been held since 1948.

The weather and holiday plans limited the number of participants this year, but we still had a respectable total of 63 species.  The Des Moines river and Maffitt Reservoir had open water, so that helped our waterfowl count.  Here are the count totals:

Cackling Goose (2); Canada Goose (5733); Trumpeter Swan (7 - record high); Gadwall (1); Mallard (679); Pintail (1); Redhead (2); Ring-necked Duck (2); Common Goldeneye (45); Hooded Merganser (5); Common Merganser (39); Ruddy Duck (1); Ring-necked Pheasant (7); Wild Turkey (56 - record high); Pied-billed Grebe (1); Great Blue Heron (1); Bald Eagle (56); Sharp-shinned Hawk (2); Cooper's Hawk (2); Red-tailed Hawk (53); Rough-legged Hawk (1); Kestrel (4); Merlin (1); Coot (4); Ring-billed Gull (10); Herring Gull (3); Rock Pigeon (387); Eurasion Collared-Dove (7); Mourning Dove (49); Great Horned Owl (3); Barred Owl (4); Long-eared Owl (3); Belted Kingfisher (2); Red-bellied Woodpecker (35); Downy Woodpecker (62); Hairy Woodpecker (16); Northern Flicker (7); Pileated Woodpecker (1); Blue Jay (64); Crow (359 - didn't count the downtown roost, so #'s lower than usual); Horned Lark (10); Black-capped Chickadee (64 - record low); Tufted Titmouse (19); Red-breasted Nuthatch (2); White-breasted Nuthatch (44); Brown Creeper (6); Carolina Wren (7); Robin (18); Starling (167 - didn't count the downtown roosts, so #'s lower than usual); Cedar Waxwing (27); Tree Sparrow (96); Song Sparrow (12); White-throated Sparrow (9); Harris's Sparrow (3); White-crowned Sparrow (2); Dark-eyed Junco (260); Lapland Longspur (4); Snow Bunting (1); Cardinal (148); Red-winged Blackbird (7); House Finch (37); Goldfinch (90); House Sparrow (270)

Many thanks to those who participated in the field and to those who reported feeder birds. 

On Saturday, Oct. 24, nine people searched for Smith's Longspurs at Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge east of Des Moines.  These birds migrate through Iowa as they travel between wintering grounds to the south and breeding grounds in the arctic.  Searching consists of spreading out and walking across a field with short, sparse grasses and other vegetation.  Two small flocks were located at the refuge, one with seven birds, the other with five birds.  These are the first Smith's Longspurs found on the refuge in the fall, probably because nobody has done a targeted search for them before.   They may be more common this time of year than we realize, but it takes effort to find them.  Other birds seen include Prairie Falcon, Le Conte's Sparrow, Lapland Longspur, American Pipit, and Horned Lark.