Headcount

The wild turkeys have given us something to look forward to.

The daily headcount.

Fourteen in the above image.

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And here’s the other three. Seventeen, all accounted for.

There is no way of predicting how long these visits will continue which makes them all the more enjoyable.

They are not precisely timed. Sometimes when we go out, we see them in front of our neighbours house or by the horse farm.

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On one occasion, a cat was watching. We have scrutinized the photo to determine whether this is our pal Nibbs, comparing similar images, but we can’t be certain. I think if it was our little friend he would have stopped by for old time’s sake.

It is more likely the other ginger cat I saw recently who probably lives in a barn down there.

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The turkeys drift up the driveway, and graze beneath the apple tree before marching out to their dust bath in the field beyond the house. Then they saunter back like a group of school children out for a Sunday afternoon stroll.

Yesterday afternoon, the pace was considerably more rushed and a minute after they had made a hasty departure I realised it was because they had encountered one of our fox friends.

We were afraid the presence of foxes might discourage the turkeys but so far it has not.

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The groundhog burrow in front of the kitchen window has broadened. What began as a chipmunk-sized hole now comfortably accommodates expanding groundhogs.

These creatures are very smart. They know where lunch comes from. Emerging from their hole, they do not look left or right, away from the house. They stare straight at the window!

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And now they just pop their heads out, expecting delivery to their doorstep.

When I take them carrots, I always call out:

“Carrots for the groundies!”

They seem to recognise the significance of the sound, or perhaps they just have a finely tuned sense of smell, or both, because they always come immediately. Last year they didn’t even wait for me to retreat indoors. The two we see now are a little more hesitant.

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On the patio one evening, a squirrel with a zebra-striped tail.

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Sharing with Little Red who seems to have had her tail trimmed!

Tails are how we are sometimes able to identify particular visitors.

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Skunks are usually very identifiable, their patterns being completely different. The above two are a rare exception. Just that black tick over the right shoulder of the skunk on the left marks them as different.

They frequently visit together. Grant believes they are mother and child.

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Beautiful, dainty creatures.

The Sunday headcount.

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