When a Turkey Meets a Hawk

For the last two weeks, a tom turkey has been hanging out around my house at various times of the day. Typically, I see the turkey strutting about, pecking at anything of interest. Yesterday, a movement amid the sagebrush below my back deck caught my eye. When I gave it my full attention, I saw the turkey standing there in full display, his tail feathers generously fanned out. I also immediately noticed the reason for the turkey’s display: only a few feet away, a hawk was perched atop the top rail of my post-and-pole fence. The tom was obviously trying to impress or intimidate the hawk.

Sadly, the tom had softened his stance by the time I managed grab my smartphone and capture a couple of photographs of the two big birds. I don’t know my hawks well enough to identify this one with certainty, but I can attest to the fact that it was pretty big—perhaps a goshawk or Cooper’s hawk.

I am posting two photographs of the encounter. They are not of great quality, but they do tell the story. Finally, the hawk flew off a minute or so after I took the pictures.

—Mitchell Hegman