Henry watches some squirrelly visitors. (Photo courtesy L.D. Porter)
Well, Halloween is over for another year. Mom is a bit sad but happy we had a great Halloween. We had some friends over for food and a nice fire in our fire pit. We are now settling into some November weather. Mom says it is pretty with gray and brown colors.
I imagine most of you have seen an abundance of deer as of late. Some say it is because it has been a dry summer and they are looking for water.
According to the National Audubon Society, there are fewer predators. Historically wolves have kept the deer population in check, but their numbers have dwindled to the verge of extinction in many areas. Coyotes and bears sometimes prey on deer, especially fawns, but their numbers have also decreased in suburban areas where deer thrive.
They thrive in landscapes with abundant food sources, like gardens and forests, as well as safe cover. Apparently with their varied diets they find plenty of year-round food. Forests have a mixture of trees and hard wood, as well as areas with dense undergrowth, which offer critical winter shelter and cover.
I know in our yard the deer have eaten most of our plants and pumpkins. They are not afraid of my mom when she goes outside in the morning.
We have a ton of turkeys in our yard too. They like birdseed. Mom says she feels like Cinderella when she walks outside. The turkeys hang around her like the birds in the cartoon.
The same explanation seems to be for the increase in the turkey population. Mom counted 21 in our yard this morning.
In an article called “Why Are There So Many Turkeys on The Loose in Massachusetts,” it says in the 1980s and 1990s there were no turkeys wandering around, even decades before. Habitat destruction made them almost extinct there. To rectify that state officials started a repopulation program with 37 turkeys from New York and introduced them into the Berkshires and Franklin County, the latter being home to Bernardston (my mom and dad lived there before moving to Maine,) Erving, and Shutesbury.
Over time the turkeys were trapped and transplanted around the state slowly making their way east. This sure seems to have worked, because they are everywhere. We have had baby turkeys in our yard, and it’s been fun watching them grow. They squabble sometimes but everyone seems to get along, and they all know their place in the group.
According to story from history, Ben Franklin jokingly suggested the turkey to be the national bird instead of the bald eagle. He once wrote that the eagle had bad moral character and didn’t make its living honestly, watching a fishing hawk do all the work and then swooping in to steal the catch.
In contrast, turkeys waddle around, block traffic, and squawk. Mom says that sounds like me. I think she’s joking.
Well, that is it for this month. We are helping with food pantries, donating what we can, money and both human and pet food. It sure takes a village.
Be well everyone. Hugs to all!
XOXOXO Henry
