From Misery to Missouri

Oil on Panel - 4 x 4 inches

     Almost 8-1/2 years after moving to our home in Duluth, I finally saw wild turkeys in my yard. But if I had lived here in the early 1970s, I wouldn’t have seen any because they were wiped out by hunting and habitat loss throughout all of Minnesota. 

     Thankfully, enough people cared about their return, and efforts to reintroduce turkeys to Minnesota by the DNR were successful in 1973 when twenty-nine wild birds were transported from Missouri to southeastern Minnesota. Eventually, that small flock grew and more turkeys were moved to other parts of the state. There’s a high probability that the turkey represented in my painting came from the original twenty-nine, according to James Burnham, a biologist from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 

     This particular bird depicted in my painting was a member of a flock of five that visited my bird feeders’ spoils on Oct. 26, 2023. They are the largest birds to have visited, barring Canada Geese which rival their size, standing almost 4 feet tall. With last year’s record snowfall and few oak trees in our area to provide acorns, wild turkeys probably had a hard go of it, but they are tough birds and can survive difficult conditions if proper food is available. 

     During car rides, I just love seeing wild turkeys feeding off in the distance. “Turkey lurkeys!” I’ll shout with excitement. It’s a feeling that never gets old.

References

Petersen, C. (2023, Sept.-Oct.). Wild Neighbors: A creature of woodlands, the wild turkey now lives across much of Minnesota, including in towns and cities. Minnesota Conservation Volunteer, 86(510), 44-55.

Stokes, D., & Stokes, L. (2010). The Stokes Field Guide to the Birds of North America. Little, Brown and Company.