Of late I have been watching Wild Turkeys mate. It’s not that I am particularly interested in their personal lives, but as I have been cleaning out culverts on my road they have been practicing their intimate moments about 50 feet from me, so it’s hard to ignore. Also hard to ignore (and actually more interesting) is to watch the Toms compete for the attention of their potential mates. At first they seem to do it solo, in this case in about the middle of a newly seeded pasture. Why they would strut their stuff in the middle of a 25 acre field with no other turkeys visible, I do not know, but they do it, maybe like a practice session. They may also make wooing noises which, because I am deaf, I cannot hear. Later, after the practice sessions, two or three of the Toms will then strut their same stuff in front of each other, the presence of Turkey hens optional.
