Quote Originally Posted by kygorski View Post
Today heading for town, needed to stop and let a dozen turkeys walk across my road. Seen my first ruffled grouse in several years, guess the foxes got em cause before could jump several walking in the woods. Deer almost come to the deck to use the bird feeders. Why? because I quit gardening when the wife died, they ate more than we did. Live on the migration route the sand hills take. The monarch m,igration is starting, just one problem, soon the lady bug swarms will begin.
There is nothing more beautiful and calming than watching wildlife. A person can't have that in the "concrete jungle." We live in the country and enjoy it from our back deck. It seems they all want to hang out around our bird feeders and birdbaths. Now the deer are hanging out under the chestnut trees about 100 ft. from the house because chestnuts are falling.

You mentioned the grouse being scarce. We used to have lots of grouse and quail, then in '93 we had a blizzard that dumped 36" of snow on top of 3" of ice. The snow was still on the ground a month later. When it was all over the grouse and quail were gone; starved and frozen to death. I have heard only one quail since that time and I think it may have been one that was caged.

You reminded me of a big wild turkey gobbler that I pass on my way into town. There is a huge subdivision of expensive homes at the edge of town where he hangs out. I have seen him many times standing beside the road under an oak tree and walking around the entrance to the subdivision as if he owns it. The funniest of all is he WALKS across a busy four-lane road just past a traffic light; stops and looks for cars, walks to the median, waits for cars to pass, and walks on across the road toward the river. I saw him one day and he looked like a cop standing there directing traffic. lol That was the day I didn't have my camera with me.