Ballistic: Turkey vs Squirrel

I stopped at Richard Nature Center for a bit of digiscoping. When I arrived, the place was chock full of turkeys and like the flock at Minnesota Valley, they took turns fluttering up to the top of a feeding station to get at the seed in the flythru. A flock has been regularly seen at this feeding station, coming and going, but the turkeys are now rather stationary. They fed and roosted and didn't seem too interested in moving on. Many of the turkeys were dozing off right under the feeders.

I don't know why, but this drowsy turkey just makes me laugh. She looks like she should be listening to a Morrissey CD.

As much fun as turkeys are, there was a long tailed sparrow lurking under a cedar tree that caught my attention. I got it in the scope and was surprised to find a white-throated sparrow still around. They are usually out of Minnesota by now. Hopefully, this bird will find a good food supply, a nice place to roost and evade the sharp-shinned hawks and survive the winter. I tried to get a better photo of it...

But the turkeys kept walking between my scope and the sparrow! That big dark blur above is a turkey--thanks, dude.

Earlier, I posted a photo of squirrel in the flythru feeder with a turkey on top. I asked the question, of the squirrel and the turkey, which one would come out victorious in the fight for the feeder. Well, here's a video with the answer, I was surprised:



The turkey gave up without the squirrel putting up too much of a bluff!

It was enough to make a downy woodpecker go "Baroo?"

The squirrel eventually made it's way over to the suet feeder and after filling up on some beef fat...

The squirrel looked rather pleased with itself.