Photo by Jennifer Wegner.
Wild turkeys are back in the hood! A reader spotted this one this morning on Baltimore Avenue. Another reader reported a sighting at the 40th Street trolley portal. These guys always seem to show up in the spring. The previous sightings in the area were reported in the spring of 2013.
UPDATE: The photo below was taken this morning at 38th and Woodland.
Hey, Watch Out Dude! (Twitter photo @engelser)
March 26th, 2015 at 10:58 am
Is this turkey from bartram’s as well? Just like in 2013? Should you alert them?
March 26th, 2015 at 12:53 pm
I don’t think Bartram’s “kept” the turkeys intentionally. Its more like they just took up residence. They are not pet wild turkeys in a petting zoo.
March 26th, 2015 at 1:21 pm
The wild life is out today- I saw an opossum in my backyard around 7 a.m.
March 26th, 2015 at 1:27 pm
How cool! But be careful – turkeys can be mean, and may get aggressive if you go too near them (speaking from personal experience here).
March 26th, 2015 at 1:33 pm
A note from the Bartram’s Garden Facebook page:
It appears as though the Bartram turkeys have expanded their search for a suitable mate onto the streets of West Philly. Not sure that they’ll find the kind of turkey they’re looking for on Baltimore Avenue or at the 40th Street trolley portal, but mating season does crazy things to a lonely turkey.
P.S. Word to the wise: If you happen to encounter one of these turkeys on the street, do not approach them. They have large talons and can be quite aggressive if they feel threatened. Use your zoom to take a pic and send it to the West Philly Local!
March 26th, 2015 at 3:22 pm
Saw one yesterday at the 40th Street Station. I am sorry to be so ignorant but can wild turkeys fly? I worried about whether the turkey was going to get run over by the trolley or the traffic, both of which are pretty intense around the station. I guess there’s nothing to be done but hope they manage the traffic and that the traffic works around them? I just got back from Tampa, Florida, and wild hens and roosters roam about the streets of Ybor, a Cuban/Spanish section of the city–quite beautiful, and nobody seems to bother them. Mostly they hang around in parking lots and less highly trafficked streets.
March 26th, 2015 at 4:44 pm
Wild turkeys can fly. I have seen them any times foraging and flying in Bartrams.
March 26th, 2015 at 9:19 pm
I saw a turkey at 41st and Pine today around 6:00 pm. It seemed like it was wandering aimlessly, especially in the middle of the street. 🙁
March 27th, 2015 at 3:37 am
Yes, well, turkeys don’t understand streets…
March 27th, 2015 at 10:36 am
Heard my name…
March 28th, 2015 at 6:34 am
I simply love how we in West Philly thrill at turkey sightings!