Wild turkeys move into St. Stephen

A flock of wild turkeys is making its rounds into the St. Stephen area.

Earlier this week, Jeff Craig who lives in St. Stephen, was driving to the GarcelonCivic Center, when he spotted a flock of more than 40 turkeys in the corner of his eye.

"It was the biggest flock I've seen in my life," said Craig, who started filming the birds."They're very vocal."

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If that wasn't enough, he saw them again on Wednesday morning on the opposite side of the road. He suspects they'll be there for a while.

"I was really lucky to see them," he said. "It was in the right place at the right time."

Positive feedback

The St. Stephen resident, who enjoys capturing photos and video of the wild birds,says he has received a lot of positive response from the public regarding his work.

"I enjoy people seeing stuff like that," he said. "People say 'Lots of Christmas dinners."

He said a lot of residents will also put out foodin their bird feeders for the turkeys to eat.

But this isn't the first time Craig has spotted the flock of wildlife. He's seen the birds roaming throughout thearea overthe past few years and he expects the number of birds to increase.

"I love to see them," he said. "I love nature."

Kyle Bedford, who lives within the area, sees the wild turkeys almost every day on his way to and from school.

A few weeks ago, the Grade 12 student was driving home and hit one.

"I can usually just honk the horn and they get out of the way," said the 17-year-old in a Facebook message.

"It worked a few times, but one afternoon they were all over the road and I held the horn. The turkeys wouldn't get out of the wayand boom I hit one."

New Brunswick sees increase in turkeys

Steve Nicholson, director of operations with the Canadian Wild Turkey Federation, said there's been an influx in turkeys travelling across the border from Maine who have established themselves in the St. Stephen and Saint Andrews areas.

A large group can also be found in the Carleton County and Victoria County areas of the province.

"They're pretty resistant to a lot," he said.

Nicholson said the turkeys started travelling to New Brunswick almost a decade ago.

Although hunting wild turkeys is illegal in New Brunswick, there is a wild turkey-hunting season in Maine in the spring. Nicholson said he's hopeful New Brunswick will see a wild turkey-hunting season in the near future.

They'll spread out as the population grows and then that population will grow.- Steve Nicholson

"Turkeys don't need to check in with security at the border," he said. "They're just moving from this area to that area."

The turkeys feed on bugs, seeds, grass and berries throughout the year.

"As a flock grows in numbers, there's not necessarily enough food source in one area to survive on so they'll just naturally migrate."

Nicholson said land in New Brunswick is also good for turkeys and they'reresilient to heavy snowfall.

They can also live in everything from open fields to forests and agricultural lands, but struggle to find food in ice buildup.

"They'll spread out as the population grows and then that population will grow," he said. "They eventually make their way across the landscape."