Testy turkey patrols Coolidge Corner

Look at that display! He's spoiling for a fight.

Our dedication to this sacred duty
is total and whole-hearted.
In the responsibility bestowed on us
never will we falter.
And with dignity and perseverance
our standard will remain perfection.
Through the years of diligence and praise
and the discomfort of the elements,
We will walk our tour in humble reverence
to the best of our ability.
It is the rafter who commands the respect we protect,
Their bravery that made us so proud.
Surrounded by traffic by day,
alone in the thoughtful peace of night,
this sacred homeland will in honored glory rest
under our eternal vigilance.

Happy hunting season.

nor sleet nor dead of night
Will keep us from our appointed rounds
But turkeys are another story altogether

Aggressive Turkeys

Remember that wild turkeys have a pecking order and that habituated birds may respond to you as they do to another turkey. The best defense against aggressive or persistent turkeys is to prevent the birds from becoming habituated in the first place by being bold to them. Everyone in the neighborhood must do the same; it will be ineffective if you do so only on your property. Each and every turkey must view all humans as dominant in the pecking order and respond to them as superiors rather than subjects. Habituated turkeys may attempt to dominate or attack people that the birds view as subordinates. "

Adult humans may drive off or deter these aggressive birds with bold action by forcefully fending them off with brooms or other non-injurious implements. However, the turkey may then recognize that individual as dominant but continue to respond to other people as subordinates.

Turkeys which repeatedly challenge or attack children or elderly persons or UPS drivers or otherwise threaten public safety may ultimately have to be destroyed. Keep turkeys wild to avoid these consequences.

It is rarely an option to trap and relocate "nuisance" turkeys. The methods used to trap turkeys in remote areas are often impractical or ineffective in urban or suburban areas due to safety or disturbance. Released turkeys may also continue their inappropriate actions where they are released or may move substantial distances to other suburban sites.

http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dfg/dfw/fish-wildlife-plants/mammals/pr...