Turkeys can take over bird feeding sites Discouraging them is difficult

Usually, people ask me how to better attract birds to their yards, or how to discourage squirrels from robbing the birdseed.

This is the first time someone has asked me how to discourage birds from their yard.

“A problem has arisen that I don’t know how to cope with,” wrote Phil Burrill of Greenbush. “Several flocks of turkeys, ranging from three to 30 birds, have invaded my feeding area. They visit several times each day, and besides clawing away all the snow and eating all the exposed dry grass, they have left an ever-growing accumulation of turkey dung. Certainly not a very healthy environment for my usual birds, many of which have decided to go somewhere else.

“My wife throws open the window and directs a fierce war whoop at the pesky turkeys which at first drove them away in panic, but – more and more – they treat her shrieks with considerable contempt. She claims they are beginning to sneer at her.

“If you know of any way to discourage wild turkey invasions, I will very much appreciate hearing from you. I do hate to have to invest in a manure spreader.”

After my chuckles wound down, I remembered the group of turkeys that visited me once. The birds were so canny, and so wary, I couldn’t get within two feet of a window. The birds seemed to sense my presence before I even got near the glass and melted into the woods seconds after I first saw them. I never saw them again.

I wondered at the persistence of the Burrill turkeys; they seemed to be willing to take the chance that the commotion would remain harmless in favor of having access to food. Perhaps the severe cold and continued snow cover had something to do with their persistence.

In winter, turkeys rely on the mast of nut-bearing trees, such as the acorns of oaks, beechnuts, and seeds of white ash. They will also eat select vegetation left uncovered by the snow. They will also visit backyard feeding stations to glean any spilled seed; many people put out cracked corn for them.

I could understand the Burrills’ dilemma, though. Having such large birds around for an extended period of time does have consequences. I don’t know that I would want to deal with their generous leavings either. I certainly wouldn’t want their presence to discourage other birds from the repast.

My first suggestion was to create a separate feeding station just for the turkeys, in the hopes of removing the waste and disturbance away from the major feeding area.

If they weren’t so inclined to do that, those plastic owls perched to scare away pigeons from roosting atop buildings came to mind next. That might perhaps work long enough for the turkeys to find another food source, but as did the pigeons, the turkeys would soon realize the fake owl would do them no harm. So I simply suggested the Burrills stop putting out food for a period of up to a week, rake or shovel the area clean of any other spilled seed, or cover any exposed ground with snow.

Hopefully, these benign tactics will take care of those pesky sneering turkeys.

BDN bird columnist Chris Corio can be reached at bdnsports@bangordailynews.net