Update: The Fearsome Five Still Strutting Their Stuff!

Those who know me know I'm a bit of a nut when it comes to animals, and my escapades today provided more evidence.

I was still on a high following yesterday's amazing release but, as I usually do with orphan releases, I started to worry.  About night critters...coyotes....anything else that could harm them.  And I worried that since they hadn't yet integrated into a flock, they wouldn't have learned how to get away from danger, and understand that they need to get waaaay up high at night in order to stay safe while they sleep.

So I took a "shortcut" to work this morning and went to their field, and was sad to see no turkeys there.  On the one hand I knew they were fine, but I couldn't help feeling a little bit responsible for their well-being.  If only I could somehow know that they had survived their first night, I would stop worrying.

After 15 minutes or so I headed to work, turkeyless.

On the way home tonight I took another "shortcut" and passed by the field again.  I didn't really expect to see them or any other critter because it was raining pretty hard.  Instead of letting common sense prevail, I got out with my (soaking wet) binoculars and searched the field.  I'd heard a crying type sound in the treeline in the morning and had now talked myself into the possibility that one of the turkeys was trapped in the felled trees. 

So I waded through the muck in the rain (sadly, that's not the first time I've done something like this) and walked the perimeter, first along the east side, then along the south forest edge, where they had been released.  I was trying to get a look inside the forest to see if I could seen any sign of them. 

I reached the end of the field and was pretty disappointed.  I turned to head back to the car and saw a sight that caused me to almost fall on my *ss in the muck.  I saw that five little turkeys had come out to see what the commotion was about!  I have no idea how long ago they had emerged from a hiding place.  They were neither interested or uninterested in me, they were just content to peck and walk in their usual back-and-forth zigzag.

I left the field as quickly as I could (my shoes now weighed 10 lbs each with all the mud) because I didn't want them to think of me as their flock.  My ego was a little bruised when they didn't so much as cast a good-bye glance my way, but I was so thrilled that they are so indifferent to humans!   There's always a risk that flock birds will bond to humans which is very dangerous when they are released, but TWC did a great job in keeping them wild.

So now I can rest easy, and leave them to their new territory knowing that, although they haven't yet integrated into a flock (maybe they are content in their own little flock) they survived night one on their own and I'm now convinced they will be just fine :)

Three of the Fearsome Five out for a snack