Wednesday, July 30, 2008

A New Yard Bird at Hasty Brook

WHAT!!
We got up to Hasty Brook last Thursday afternoon, set up the campsite and explored. We had some of the best hamburgers EVER on the grill outside and had just settled into the camper before dark for reading and movies as the breeze was non-existent, the humidity was high and the mosquitoes were eating us alive. Art glanced out the window down the driveway and at first thought he saw grouse walking up the drive toward the campsite. Then he sat bolt upright and hissed "turkeys!!" Either they heard him or they realized that the clearing was now inhabited by people, but they turned around and started trotting away. I quickly grabbed my camera but the photos were horrible- the camera couldn't focus through the screen. I was so disappointed at the pictures but excited to add these cool birds to the Hasty yard list! Later in the weekend when driving back to the campsite from Duluth John very quietly said "Oh, look. There's those turkeys in the tree." Huh? I made Art stop and make a u-turn, back up some more and there they were- perched in a birch! They wobbled and teetered in the branches looking like they'd fall to the ground any minute! I didn't think turkeys lived this far north in Minnesota.
Beautiful new yard bird.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The meeting went well with the septic designer on Friday. There is a site that complies with the creek set-back where a septic system can be built. Since that site is not a good building site, the we are hopeful we will get the variance to build at our campsite. Knowing he has given us a favorable recommendation for the septic site has made us hopeful.
We're past the first hurdle.

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

How neat, turkeys in the trees! I saw one in a tree once and was shocked that they could get up there. I bet they feel a lot safer up there.

I am glad things look good for you getting the cabin.

NCmountainwoman said...

I see turkeys fairly often but I have NEVER seen one in a tree. How cool that must have been!

Mary said...

Linne, you're in heaven, turkey :o) I wonder why the TVs are in Minnesota now? They're plentiful in the mid-Atlantic and southeast. They travel in flocks and sit on rooftops!

That's an awesome photo... We MUST continue to make u-turns. It's worth it.

FINGERS CROSSED ON THE NEXT HURDLE. Keep the faith with you.

Hugs,
Mare

Susan Gets Native said...

I wonder how far north turkeys go? Ruthie would know...
Hurdle 1: check.
Fingers, toes and eyes crossed for you.

Jayne said...

Turkeys in trees! How funny!
Hope the rest of the variance stuff goes well and there are no more hurdles Lynne. :c)

Anonymous said...

It is certainly strange to see turkeys in the trees. Perhaps pigs will start to fly soon.

Deb said...

It is still a cognitive dissonance thing with me whenever I see turkeys around here, or in trees for that matter.

It was great to be able to see Hasty Brook and meet your family! Are you enjoying the Hobo Nephews? :)

Anonymous said...

Wow! Cool new yard bird. There is just something so oddly wonderful about Turkeys. Good luck on the next hurdle for HB's building! Fingers crossed!

dguzman said...

Oh man! I love his facial expression! This is so cool. Good luck with your building stuff.

Richard said...

Great picture !!!

Lynne at Hasty Brook said...

Linda- I had heard that turkeys roost in trees at night for safety, but i sure was weird to see!

ncmountainwoman- It sure was exciting to see them. Totally unexpected!

May- Yep, turkeys and turkey vultures- two beautiful big birds! Art is so good about stopping and turning around for me.

Susan- I'm hoping Ruthie will check in with info for me. Thanks for the fingers, toes, and eyes!

Jayne- They sure loked funny and wobbly high in the tree!

scienceguy288- FLYING PIGS? That would be something to see! LOL!

Deb- Maybe turkeys are so unexpected to see because they're just so darned big. I'm loving the Hobo Nephews- great lyrics. Thanks for pointing me to them!

Liza- Yes, they are odd looking bird, but beautiful.

Delia- The turkey DOES have a funny expression doesn't he?

Richard- Thank you very much.

NatureWoman said...

I love your new bird find! Also, congrats on crossing the first hurdle! Yay!

possumlady said...

"perched in a birch!" You're a poet and you don't know it!!

Gorgeous photo. With so many people crossing their fingers and toes for you, you should have no problems. I'll cross my eyes too.

Kathie Brown said...

Nice photo of the turkey. My in-laws see them all the time in Maine. I've seen them atop a crab apple tree in winter trying to eat the fruit. I'm surprised the prickly pear iced tea reminded you of bananas. I wonder if they put something else in it. The juice alone is not sweet, but it does have a strong flavor. I don't know what to compare it to, but I love the jelly. It tastes really good on Salmon.

MojoMan said...

Have you considered alternatives to a conventional septic system, such as a composting or incinerating toilet that might give you more flexibility on siting your cabin?

Eve said...

Things are rolling Lynne! We have lots of turkeys here! Can’t wait til they meet the guineas! There is nothing more fun than seeing about 50 turkeys cruising across a snowy field...looking like a herd of dinosaurs!!!

Lynne at Hasty Brook said...

Pam- Isn't the turkey neat? I look forward to spending more time up there one day and learning more about what lives there.

Christine- "You're a poet and you don't know it!!"

I haven't heard that expression in a looong time. It was a favorite of my sister. Thanks for the smile.

bird girl- I suppose turkeys are alot of feathers but they sure are big. Thanks for the prayer. I so love that place, and I want to do right by it.

Kathie- Hopefully we'll be able to visit Phoenix again one day and I'll have to buy some prickly pear jelly. I'm glad you don't think it tastes like bananas (not sure what was in that tea) because I hate bananas!

Mojo- Because of the way the creek curves across the property we are mostly dealing with the problem of the 150 foot set-back from the creek. The folks at the county will not under any circumstances let us put ANY type of septic or waste system within the 150 feet. Not an outhouse. Not even a holding tank. So when the septic designer told us we had ONE area close to the road, more than 150 feet from the creek in all directions, that would support a mound system we were hugely relieved. Now we'll go through the process of seeking a variance to build the cabin within the set-back area (130 feet). Before we could even approach the county about the variance though, we had to prove we could put in a "legal septic". We did ask about the possibility of a composting toilet but since we're hoping to live there some day, we'd need to deal safely with gray water too.
Thanks for the suggestion though- please jump in with any more ideas!

nina at Nature Remains. said...

He looks a little surprised to see YOU, too!

Mary C said...

Hi Lynne. I would imagine seeing a bird that large in a tree would be quite a surprise. But I'm sure you are happy to add another bird to your little piece of paradise. I'm so glad to hear you have passed the first hurdle. We'll keep hoping and praying for the next hurdle to quickly be passed. Onward and upward!

dguzman said...

Lynne, I stole your great turkey photo--hope you don't mind too much.

RuthieJ said...

Lynne, I'm SOOOOOO jealous of turkeys in your yard!
Turkeys actually roost in trees for sleeping. They will fly up around dusk and come down around sunrise to start eating again. If the weather's bad (snowstorm or similar), I've read they can stay perched in the tree for up to 7 days until it's decent enough for them to fly down and start eating again. A very cool bird--Congratulations!

Marsha said...

Cool new yard bird at Hasty Brook! Great news on the septic design and hopefully the variance on the cabin site will be a piece of cake too!

beSmart beGreen said...

my first thought when I saw this was WHAT?!?!?!?!? and then I scrolled down. lol.