We are used to seeing turkeys fly past the windows, though it is still a bit startling because they are so big! But there was drama today and we almost missed it.
A ton of feathers against the fence! Somebody hit very hard and since these are turkey feathers we know one of the birds made a sudden abrupt stop. The question was why….
Right after Dan saw the flurry of feathers on the fence he saw an adult Golden Eagle flying west but alas with empty talons. So he missed, poor bird. They are one of the few birds of prey that will try to take something that large. There are Goshawks around here as well, and they will also go after a turkey if they are hungry.
This was quite a few feathers!!
I went out on the porch to make sure it was turkey feathers and not eagle feathers, and sure ’nuff.
The down is so soft and light and warm.
While I was out on the porch, there was nary a bird to be seen. And I could hear the turkeys off in the trees having a spirited conversation about the events of this morning. It will be interesting to see how long it takes the turkeys to return to picking up the seeds dropped on the ground by the enterprising small birds.
It was a close enough call that it won’t be surprising if we see the eagle again. We’ve been expecting Pygmy Owls and Cooper’s Hawks or Sharp-shinned Hawks to start staking out the bird feeders. Just a different kind of bird feeder.