Nature Notes

It was a cold February day, and we had just
come home from town. My 5-year-old
nephew, Zachary, was with us. He was excited
to have "a sleepover" with us at our house in
Troy. We gathered up the groceries and
Zachary's things from the car, and started to
head inside. Then Zachary stopped, staring
curiously down the driveway. He pointed and
said, "What's that?" They were turkeys, or
wild turkeys to be exact.
There were several of them. A few were
making their way through the deep snow, a
couple perched in a nearby tree. I was amazed
when a couple of them took off flying. In fact,
turkeys can fly up to 60 mph, and as far as
about a mile per flight. It was not unusual to
see so many turkeys together all in the same
place. They require lots of mature hardwoods,
more specifically the nut producing species
(like oak or beech), along with pines. This
makes Maine (and our backyard) a prime
location for turkeys.
Early in Maine's history, Eastern wild turkeys
flourished in York and Cumberland counties.
By 1880, though, much of southern Maine
had been cleared of trees and 90 percent was
made up of farmland, so the wild turkey
population plummeted. This, and unrestricted
hunting were thought to be the two major
factors.

Later, as farming declined, the woods regrew.
Now, farmland in those areas covers only
about 15 percent, and attempts were made
after World War II to reintroduce wild
turkeys. In 1977 the efforts succeeded. In the
1980s more turkeys were brought to Waldo
and Hancock counties, and now the state's
wild turkey population is estimated to be
around 40,000 birds.
Wild turkeys are so plentiful in Maine now
that hunting permits will be given out
over-the-counter, rather than through an
application this year. The season runs from
April 30 to June 2.
- Jack Wilde