Pam’s Perspective
Pam Otto is the Manager of Nature Programs and Interpretive Services for the St. Charles Park District
So…
Last week we talked turkey. Specifically, wild turkeys, Meleagris gallopavo, the birds that are taking the TriCities by storm. And, this week, we’re…
Still talking turkeys!
We asked, and you responded. Well over two dozen people so far have called or emailed to report turkeys in their yards or neighborhoods; a few others noted that they’ve seen the birds crossing roads or hanging out in open fields and even parking lots in Kane County as well as western DuPage County. With just a couple of exceptions, the earliest sightings date back to last spring; the most recent was yesterday. (And given the recent change in our weather, I’ve got to believe that that was one, yep, cold turkey…)
Nearly half of the sightings reported were on the near east side of St. Charles, ranging from the Baker Memorial Church (on the roof, no less) up to Valley View, with a high concentration in the two-block stretch between Johnor and Delnor Avenues along Route 25. One person called to report a turkey on her driveway on 13th Ave., south of Main Street, and several people let me know about a pair of turkeys that were seen by the St. Charles Public Library last summer.
On the west side of St.Charles, neighbors of Wild Rose School in St. Charles report they have seen a single turkey in the area sporadically since last July. Even farther west, in Campton Township, turkeys in groups of twos, threes and fours have been seen since a year ago Thanksgiving.
Other areas where turkeys have been seen include Route 38 and Kautz Road (five birds); Batavia Road in Warrenville (one bird); Shaffner Road in Wheaton (one bird); and Geneva Road at Prince Crossing (two separate sightings, one with five birds and the other, six).
Curious about this turkey phenomenon, I contacted Bill Graser, wildlife biologist for the Forest Preserve District of Kane County. He said that for some time now he’s observed wild turkeys in the southwestern part of the county, and noted that the pairs near Big Rock Forest Preserve had juveniles—clear evidence of successful reproduction. He’s also seen the birds near Burlington as well as off of Corron Road in the northwestern part of the county, and has gotten a few calls about turkeys on the east side of Geneva.
But where are all these birds coming from?
A few weeks ago, when I’d first written about turkeys, I’d put forth the opinion that the birds might have been released from game farms, either accidentally or on purpose. But a couple of avid turkey hunters quickly let me know that game farm birds would not have the survival skills needed to make it in our coyote-laden landscape.
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One hunter, Ken Zimny, put forth the opinion that the turkeys sighted around Delnor Woods in St. Charles may have traveled south from McHenry County. He also predicted that a lack of suitable habitat will have the birds there on the move, sooner rather than later.
Then, on Thursday, I got a call from Jack Shouba, open space development coordinator for Campton Township. An avid naturalist, Jack said he was well aware of turkeys in the area, but also knew for a fact that at least some of them were released by a well-meaning though misguided individual.
Jack recalled that when the four birds (a gobbler and three hens) first appeared a year ago last November in his Campton neighborhood, it was pretty obvious that they were not truly wild. They walked up to houses, looked in windows and, most telling, showed no wariness around humans.
Concerned, he contacted officials with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, who confirmed what he suspected: It’s illegal for private individuals to release game birds—in fact, any animals—into the wild without the proper permits. The risk of spreading disease is too great, and mixing captive birds’ genes with the genes of wild birds is no good either.
Jack is hopeful that the releases in his neck of the woods have stopped, and that the individual responsible for them has realized the error of his ways. But that doesn’t fully solve the mystery. There are still a lot more turkeys in Kane and DuPage Counties, some acting wary, some not, but all turning heads no matter where they pop up.
If you’ve contacted me in the last week and I haven’t gotten back to you yet, I apologize and hope to write/call back soon. I’m curious to learn whether the birds you’ve seen are still hanging out or have moved on, as well as whether any of you have noted any evidence of predation by coyotes.
I’m also hoping to make time soon to contact the folks at IDNR, and get their take on turkeys—specifically our Kane County birds but also any info they may have on their own restocking efforts in northern Illinois. Whatever I learn, I’ll be sure to share in a future Chronicle column.
Pam Otto, who three years ago found a clump of turkey wing feathers in St. Charles but has yet to see even one of the live birds people keep telling her about, is the manager of nature programs and interpretive services for the St. Charles Park District. She can be reached at 630-513-4346 or potto@stcparks.org.