Nature Net News
Your portal for nature tips
& tricks for exploring nature with your kids
November 2009
Tons of Wild Turkeys
"For the Truth the Turkey is in Comparison a much more respectable Bird
[compared to the Bald Eagle], and a true original Native of America . . . He is besides, though a little vain & silly, a Bird of Courage, and would not hesitate to attack a Grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his Farm Yard with a red Coat on. "
-Benjamin Franklin
Dear Reader, Our national bird is the Bald Eagle, but if Benjamin Franklin would have had his way, it would have been the Wild Turkey! This colorful and interesting bird can now be found throughout southern Wisconsin. But there's more to turkeys than their celebrated position on our Thanksgiving Day tables. Enjoy a bit of wild and find out about turkeys, how and where they live, in this month's Nature Net News. And admire the 2003 Wild Turkey stamp (DNR image above) by Greg Alexander of Ashland. Enjoy! Kathe & Sarah |
Most people are familiar with the terms a "flock of ducks" or a "gaggle of geese", but have you heard of a "rafter of turkeys?"
A turkey gobble can be heard a mile away.
What to Do This Month:
Drive by cornfields in the country to go "Turkey Spotting." See how many turkeys you can find in the cornfields surrounding your area!
Go to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Wild Turkey page to learn more facts and hear the turkey calls!
Go to the Wisconsin DNR's EEK! Turkey Page to learn more about the physical characteristics and history of these wild birds.
Tricks of the Trail for Parents:
Temperamental Turkeys!
When going turkey watching, beware of getting too close. While it's fun to watch turkeys, turkeys are territorial creatures and have been known to attack people who get too close to them. So be sure to watch from a secure location or a place where you can barricade yourself in.
Instant Outdoor Expert:
Turkey Anatomy!
The red fleshy growth on a turkey is called a "wattle" and is only found on males, as are the large fans created by tail feathers. Females are smaller and more drab.
Featured Nature Net Site
Nature Craft
Bethel Horizons Nature Center
Bethel Horizons
is nestled on over 548 acres of hills, valleys, and cliffs inside the “Driftless Area” of Wisconsin. Many plant and animal communities make the forest, prairie, and wetland areas of Horizons their home. Horizons provides many unique opportunities to explore and discover the wonders of nature by striving to teach others the importance of the earth's wild places and by reconnecting people to the earth in which we live.
All are welcome to take part in the many nature programs offered at Horizons. Whether you are a part of a school, business, organization, church, or scout troop,
they would love to coordinate a program that will fit your needs.
Get into the spirit of fall by creating this
masterpiece using materials you've collected on a fall nature walk!
What you will need: Leaves, pinecone, googly eyes,
paper (orange and red scraps or white paper colored with markers), glue,
and scissors.
1. Go on a nature autumn walk and collect various leaves and a pinecone. The leaves will be your turkey's tail, so be sure to collect pretty colors! (If you want you can take the nature walk a week before, collect your leaves, then press the leaves before making the craft to keep the leaves from getting crunchy.)
2. Arrange leaves in turkey tail shape on paper and then glue on.
3. Using lots of glue, glue the pinecone at the middle of the base of the fan.
4. Cut a beak from orange paper and a wattle from red; Paste these and googly eyes on pinecone.
5. After drying, proudly display your turkey on the
kitchen fridge, your bedroom door, or wherever a turkey need be!
Suggested Reading:
"Wild Turkey Run" by Bob Reese (baby-3)
"10 Fat Turkeys" by Tony Johnson (4-8)
"All About Turkeys" by Jim Arnosky (4-8)
"Wild Turkeys" by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent (4-8)
"The Great Turkey Walk" by Kathleen Karr (9-12)
