While driving back from the deep south yesterday we were suddenly stopped by a flock of some 30 wild turkeys casually crossing the highway in single file. It would have been a GREAT photo, but, being an idiot, I did not have my camera with me! I have heard about wild turkeys in the area for years but never saw one, ugly creatures I must say. Wild Turkeys are found on Vancouver Island, the southern Gulf Islands, in the Okanagan and most commonly, in the Kootenays. They prefer open-wooded valleys, uplands and agricultural fields, and in the early morning or late afternoon, you might see them foraging. They are agile fliers, unlike their domestic counterparts, and are found either singly or in flocks. These flocks can be very large — sometimes over 100 birds. Turkeys eat a variety of food: acorns, nuts, seeds, berries, grapes, roots, grasses, insects and have been known to eat amphibians and small reptiles like newts and snakes. Impact on Communities and Native Species Wild Turkeys are a problem for both humans and native game birds. They are opportunistic feeders, and, while they primarily eat plants, they also consume frogs and salamanders. Despite being a relative of the farm-raised bird on your plate at Thanksgiving, Wild Turkeys are a serious agricultural pest. They eat crops including grapes and frighten ranch animals. Invasion History The ancestral range of the Wild Turkey extended from the southwest to the northeast United States, north to Southern Ontario, and south to Mexico, Belize and Guatemala. It is considered an excellent and challenging game bird and has been introduced and re-introduced to many areas across North America for hunters. In 1910, Wild Turkeys were raised and released by the BC Game Commission onto James Island off Victoria and Vancouver Island. From introductions into new habitats in Washington State, Idaho and Montana the birds expanded their occupation in the northwest into southern BC starting in the 1960s. In the 1980s, Fish & Wildlife officials relocated turkeys from the Creston Valley to the East Kootenay. These relocations, along with flocks and immigration from bordering states have resulted in self-sustaining populations across Southern BC.
Posted on: Wed, 24 Sep 2014 17:10:30 +0000
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