The DNR released turkeys in several southern Illinois counties over a decade ago and they are now becoming a common sight in an area where they were once extinct. THey absolutely love our woods, and even feel comfortable roosting only a short distance from our house, usually in a big sycamore overlooking the creek. THey do have excellent eyesight and it's hard to sneak up on them undetected, but they still don't seem generally "smart" around humans. I just always guessed that the first birds released might have come from game farms and had possibly lost some of their wariness, but so many generations later, you'd think it should have returned....I was in the back yard a few days back and heard what I thought was a group of turkeys popping and clucking. I walked around to the north side of the house and immediately saw a hen strolling about, but I didn't see any others. SHe was also purring loudly. I am fairly used to clucks, yelps, gobbles, and a few other turkey isms, but I had only read about purring and wasn't sure what it meant. Then I noticed my cat sitting on his usual log at the perimeter of the yard. This seemed odd- the cat is generally afraid of the big birds, and they totally ignore him when they cross paths in front of the house. I walked out to scoop him up, and in the back of my mind, I was wondering if the hen might have chicks. When I got to where the cat was, I saw something white in the brush--13 eggs in a nest. I could not believe it...it's less than 40 yards from the noth wall of my house! How had I been missing it all this time? By now, this bird is pretty darned used to all our comings and goings, the lawn mower and weed eater rattling, the rumble of vehicles, and I even have the dog house and his water bowl right there about 25 yards away. SO much for wild flighty birds!

LAst year we kept seeing a solitary hen right up close to the house, so close that one time I saw her examining the side of the central air unit. My husband and I began referring to her as our Yard Hen, and rarely did a day go by without a visit. I am wondering now if this could be that bird, and that she feels safe enough to be that close. Maybe being this close to humans will keep some of the other predators away...

I also hope that their apparent rate of success in repopulating the area doesn't swing the other way, like it did with the deer, and end up making them a scourge. Unlike with the deer, I think there are still plenty of animals about that will help keep that from happening.