Wild turkeys keeping visitors on their toes at the Mud Lake Trail
If you are yearning to walk the trails around Mud Lake in the Britannia Conservation Area, be aware there are wild turkeys looking for mates. A gang of three have been chasing and pecking at visitors to the nature trail for weeks.
Their mating season occurs between late February and early March in the southern U.S., and in April here in the northern end of their range.
Wild turkeys stand more than a metre tall, have a wingspan of up 1.4 metres and can weigh more than 10 kilograms. They are strong flyers and roost in trees at night.
Friday, the NCC closed parts of the trail to keep the public away from the pesky poultry, with plans to live trap the birds and relocate them to a quieter place.
On Sunday, the signs were down and the trails were open but, to the surprise of many, the turkeys were there as well, chasing off visitors as they approached.
Christine Norman and her friends had heard about the aggressive gobblers and decided to check it out; they noticed the signs were down, so they ventured into the woods, expecting the fowl to have fled. Instead, they were confronted by the three large male turkeys strutting their stuff.
“They are intimidating. We might not get to do our planned route back to the coffee shop,” Norman said. “It reminds you that nature is all around us and maybe we are not top of the food chain everywhere because these guys are intimidating.”
After snapping some pictures, the group decided discretion is the better part of valor and retreated, leaving the trio of turkeys to search for springtime brides.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States.