Outback Steakhouse may advertise blooming onions, but I have blooming turkeys in a green field north of my house. Like a rose going from a tight bud to full summer bloom, those big ol’ gobblers put on a show. Puffing their feathers and spreading their fan-shape tails into full-blown sails, they strut and rattle. Their not so subtle actions woo nearby hens that coyly scan the area for insects and greens. If all works out, baby turkeys will soon follow.
Spring gobbler watching is always a treat for nature lovers, but this year it is spectacular. Timely rains and Jekyll and Hyde temperatures combined to create a dense, green back drop for this year’s extravaganza. Wheat and alfalfa that just a few months ago appeared anemic and scraggly soaked up an all-day, gentle rain, turning it into a lush, velvety backdrop for those spring show-offs. Brilliant emerald fields highlight iridescent feathers of toms and hens to dazzle turkey watchers willing to find birds to watch.
Four mature long beards star in the pageant below our house. A number of jakes or young male turkeys meander outside the inner circle of strutting toms, snagging a bite here and there while keeping an eye on the show. My guess is that they are studying the dance steps so they know what to do next spring.
The hens, in my opinion, are most entertaining of all. While the males fluff, preen, and strut, the ladies focus on dining. With their heads to the ground, they seek tasty snacks. It’s amazing that they can stand in the midst of all those fanned tails, red wattles and blue faces, while hearing that curious rattling sound toms make as they strut in choreographed steps, and not notice.
As intent as the girls appear on anything but the toms, you would think they were totally unaware of their suitors’ energetic presentations. If I didn’t see gangly poults awkwardly following proud hens through fields and down roads in early June, I’d guess the guys’ efforts were in vain.
While turkeys will always look like lumbering, big-bellied cargo planes as they fly to their evening roost, their spring dance has an unarguable elegance. On the ground in full strut, the male turkey puts on a show worthy of Las Vegas headlines. When rain-fueled Mother Nature’s greenery serves as a backdrop to the show, it’s more dazzling.
Take a morning or evening drive along western Kansas roads and highways bordered by wheat fields and alfalfa patches to see this spring gala. Follow any highway or country path, keep your eyes open, and your camera ready. Blooming turkeys will delight you.
Native Kansan Karen Madorin is a local writer and retired teacher who loves sharing stories about places, people, critters, plants, food, and history of the High Plains.