One year ago today...

[DT6]

some folks not having the brains god gave to geese.

Please stop insulting Geese!

 

[Iowa Dave]

I have never heard of a goose drowning in a thunderstorm but young domesticated turkeys will tip their heads up to get a drink and the heavy rain will drown them. And if it gets hot, they will pack together and suffocate or overheat and die.
So some people don’t have the brains god gave a young turkey.
No apology possible.
Iowa Dave

 

[Dave Walter]

Yesterday morning it was 9F when I went for my morning run. Mid and high school boys wearing shorts and hoodies waiting for the bus. Kids these days!

Here is a running photo from awhile ago. I must be getting old as it gets harder and harder to get hyped up for those -25 deg C outdoors runs these days. I have been running indoors on a track most of this winter.

 

[GinoandLinda]

Here is a running photo from awhile ago. I must be getting old as it gets harder and harder to get hyped up for those -25 deg C outdoors runs these days. I have been running indoors on a track most of this winter.

My limit is around 5 deg F. After that my body slowly seizes up and I need to spend and hour in the sauna to function again.

 

[HABBERDABBER]

I have never heard of a goose drowning in a thunderstorm but young domesticated turkeys will tip their heads up to get a drink and the heavy rain will drown them. And if it gets hot, they will pack together and suffocate or overheat and die.
So some people don’t have the brains god gave a young turkey.
No apology possible.
Iowa Dave

I was curious and researched a bit. Both appear to be merely myths, passed along as gospel truth.


The idea that turkeys drown by looking up in the rain is a myth; there are no documented cases of this happening. While turkeys may sometimes look up due to a genetic condition, it does not lead to drowning.

HowStuffWorks theblackberrymagazine.com

Turkey Flocking Behavior in Hot Weather​

In hot weather, turkeys exhibit specific behaviors that help them cope with high temperatures. Understanding these behaviors can assist in ensuring their welfare during summer months.

Seeking Shade and Water​

• Flocking Together: Turkeys tend to group together in shady areas to minimize sun exposure. This social behavior helps them stay cool while also offering protection against potential predators.
• Increased Water Consumption: They will seek out water sources more frequently, often bathing to help regulate body temperature.

 

[Iowa Dave]

I have personally seen dead turkeys in a pen after a rainstorm.
Location SW of tipton iowa. About 8 or 9 young birds dead scattered about after a thunderstorm. They were in a pen and there was no predation. My friend Ed maintained the remaining two birds and they grew to maturity. He made a connection with them and they trusted him. At thanksgiving he hung one over a closline and it hung there for a few minutes. We were production workers on a packing house hog kill. Ed was a header. A twelve inch butcher knife considerably sharper than a razor was required for that job. Ed casually walked up to that turkey and slit its neck. It never flapped a bit. It closed its eyes and bled out. We scalded it, picked it gutted and washed it and had it for thanksgiving along with a Canadian goose. We also killed two million hogs in 6 years working on that 97 man and woman gang. I’ve seen dead turkeys on hot days and dead frozen hogs pulled out of steel semi trailer possum bellies when it was -20 degrees after being hauled a hundred miles at 60 miles an hour. They had lived in heated confinement all their short lives. I’m not saying that the posting is wrong, I’m saying those dudes who wrote that ain’t been everywhere.
Ever see a dead female wood duck hanging from a nesting post with its feet a body covered by monofilament fishing line she meant to use for a nest. Or a submerged 55 gallon barrel of water flush with the surrounding railroad ballast. That “natural” trap was the end of thousands of small woodland critters over the 15 years I walked by it. Some drowned.
Some frozen, some live. All trapped. For The live chipmunks, Mice, voles etc I cut a branch from a tree and put it in the barrel on the ice or next to the edge for the swimmers. Didn’t take them long to climb out.
I have harvested animals, saved animals, been annoyed by animal damage and enjoy seeing wildlife every day. 75 years of memories and counting.
I know what I am looking at.
Iowa Dave

 

[HABBERDABBER]

Whatever, Dave

 

[Thrak]

Yesterday morning it was 9F when I went for my morning run. Mid and high school boys wearing shorts and hoodies waiting for the bus. Kids these days!

What is this "running" of which you speak?

 

[emers382]

Oh the horror of it for Florida folks. I have to remember to turn on my hummingbird feeder or it'll end up frozen solid. Don't know how they survive.

Ron

We were surprised to see hummers out this month so bought a feeder. We are cottaging for the winter on Cowichan Lake while we wait for our condo to be rebuilt. We are enjoying the birds (feeding them too) and the buds on bushes and a few blossoms on flowers. Certainly different from when we lived in MB.

Beth's off to a quilt retreat next week and the dog and I are going camping, supposed to be up to 14C one day. Hope this year will be one in which I can camp every month (except this one).