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Killdeer in Alleghany Co.,NC



I saw 7 killdeer in Alleghany Co. today just North of the Farmer's Fishcamp
low water bridge.  They were in the road along with a couple hundred robins.
The killdeer were not what I expected to see on a snowy day in February.

Also, I drove up to within 25 yards of 5 Jake (male hatching year) turkeys
on Sunday.  They were so busy working out their pecking order that they
didn't pay any attention to me.  They were enthusiastically pummeling one
another.  As soon as one would try to strut, he would instantly get jumped
on by one or more of the other jakes.  Most of the fighting involved
grabbing hold of some part of the head, twining the neck around 180 degrees
and wrestling.  One jake shoved his bill half way down the other's throat.
That must have hurt because the violated jake withdrew for a short period of
time.  Sometimes, three jakes were tied up at once with their necks twisted
around one another to the point you couldn't tell which head belonged to
which bird.  All this was accompanied by loud purring which must be the
turkey fight song.  Quiet a show.

Harrol
kestrel@valink.com

On the New River in SW VA