One Bad-Ass Tom Turkey

​I’m a happy resident of Fort Collins in Northern Colorado. It’s a friendly college town and home to Colorado State University (which both of my kids have attended), has lots of good eateries, isn't far from the mountains, and most importantly for me, has plenty of diverse open spaces to wander around in. In fact, there are 50+ Fort Collins Natural Areas, many of which I’ve visited. But my goal is to hit all of them in the not-too-distant future, and I have fresh motivation for getting out there with my camera. I’ve recently taken on a role as a volunteer photographer for the Fort Collins Natural Areas.
 
All year long, I see many common types of wildlife when I’m out and about locally…the usual suspects like various songbird and duck species, bald eagles and other raptors, white-tailed deer, coyotes, numerous species of turtles and snakes, and more.
 
We have various marshy pond areas with well-traveled trails among these Fort Collins Natural Areas, and I frequent one area in particular that’s just 6 miles from my home. I’m almost always there at or before sunrise (often freezing my hind end off), and usually stay for an hour or two. Like every one of my wildlife outings, I get a kick out of every moment (adrenaline is my friend), in anticipation of what I might see. And every now and then, I see something out of the ordinary. Here are a few of my more unusual finds in this area.

​I realize that many people see raccoons as pests. But my sorry situation is that I rarely see them. Don’t know why, with all of the time I spend in the great outdoors, but it is what it is. One chilly overcast morning this month just after sunrise, I saw not one…but a whole gang including mom and her four kits. My hands were already frozen (I can’t shoot with thick gloves, people!), but I fumbled with my camera and managed to snap a handful of pictures of them before they disappeared in the brush. Haters gonna hate, but I love these little bandits.

​When I took up wildlife photography in 2018, I quickly became a birder. With the help of the Merlin Bird ID app to set me straight, I’ve probably IDed well over a hundred different bird species at this point. Besides the app providing the range, sample bird sounds, and other info for each species, it tells me when it’s a rare bird for this area. One such sighting in May was a green heron sitting on a branch hanging over the pond. Honestly, it’s one of the most beautiful animals I’ve ever seen. Since then, I’ve seen one more at another area in Fort Collins, and I’ve discovered that many birders around here have never seen them! I’m one lucky gal, it appears.

​And then…there’s this sighting, in this same pond area, just after sunrise one morning in March. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I spotted it, but it’s a big tom turkey with an arrow through its back. Made me cringe when I saw it, but then I stuck around to watch him for a while. As you can see by its blunt tip, the arrow is a practice arrow, rather than a hunting arrow that would have a sharp, broadhead tip. It’s very doubtful that he was shot by accident, and much more likely that it was the work of some nearby kids or teens or something. Grrrr.

​Heartbreaking, but here’s the thing. This turkey seemed to be thriving. Wild turkey mating season in Colorado takes place during the spring, and this guy was in charge of a whole flock of hens. When I got home, I called a local wildlife rehab facility (NoCo Wildlife Center) to report it, and apparently they, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and Fort Collins Natural Areas have tried catching him but to no avail. As of March, he had been spotted with the arrow for some 10 months. Given the amount of time that had passed, they said there’s too much scar tissue to try to remove the arrow now, so they’ll just leave him to his studliness. And besides being popular with the womenfolk? They tell me he can even fly. He’s my hero.