By Elizabeth Lowe
Staff Writer
Turkey spotting is on the rise in the area, says Brandon Township resident Jonathan Schechter.
“Most of Brandon Township is just ideal habitat,” he said. “I’ve seen more droppings and ant hills torn apart where they have been dusting themselves lately.”
Schechter, who lives near Granger and Sashabaw roads, is a naturalist for West Bloomfield Parks, and has noticed an increase in the turkey population since the Michigan Department of Natural Resources began releasing the birds.
DNR releases of turkeys over the past two decades have resulted in an increase in population. Although the birds have historically roosted in Michigan, they began to get scarce by 1870, says DNR Wildlife Biologist Julie Oakes, which prompted the release into Oakland County.
“The turkeys were always in the area,” she said. “The population declined so that’s when we started doing the releases.”
The new turkeys come from wild healthy strains in nearby states, says Oakes. After being trapped from established flocks in other states, the DNR made seven releases of the birds into the Ortonville and the neighboring areas of Holly and Oxford from 1984 to 2000. In 1992, approximately 15 birds were released in the Ortonville Recreation Area.
“They will spread on their own naturally,” she said. “We just give them a little boost.”
While Schechter believes the flocks are increasing overall, he’s periodically observed a dropoff in sightings. With the popularity of hunting the birds, he fears poaching may be a factor.
“A fair amount of birds may be taken illegally, or it could also be natural predators,” he said.
Although turkeys have been spotted even in Rochester, they “surprisingly seem to be adapting,” says Oakes.
Because turkeys historically belong in the area, they don’t disrupt the food chain, and normally are welcome because of their fondness for eating bugs. Although farmers have spotted turkeys in cornfields, research shows the birds are consuming bugs on the plants rather than the corn, says Oakes.
The DNR receives scattered complaints about the birds, but turkey annoyances can be prevented, says Oakes.
“It turns out every time that people are having problems because they’re feeding them, either intentionally or inadvertently.”
“People will say, ‘Well, yeah, I was feeding them. It was cute at first, but now they’re on my roof tearing the shingles off,” she said.
The birds roost in areas of pine trees, but frequently dine at bird feeders.
“When you have a bird feeder, turkeys don’t know that you mean song birds.”
Her advice?
“We try and say leave wildlife alone,” Oakes said.