Big birds

A few times Daisy has accompanied me when I go to work on rebuilding the south pasture fence.  Usually from Daisy I hear several times, "Are we there yet?", as I walk along. Once we reach the fence some times she looks around; often she finds a low area near me and lays and relaxes.  Each time there were wild turkeys nearby but Daisy didn't see them, or didn't let on that she had seen them.  One time I disturbed a mouse but I couldn't get Daisy to come over as she was busy checking something else out.

The previous evening Daisy had come with me she was in a cranky mood as I stayed late working on he fence, then decided to take the long way home so I could check my pocket gophers traps in Wyatt's field.  Daisy walked in my pasture as Wyatt's field was rough having recently been cut for hay.  However Daisy had to eventually walk in Wyatt's field else get wet from my line of irrigation sprinklers.  At the next pocket gopher trap she plopped down next to me.  Unfortunately the twine holding the trap to the marker rod was between her back legs.  I gently tried to remove the twine and Daisy turned around and hooked one claw deep into my finger and was about to bite me until she realized what she was doing and stopped.

That was a few days ago and she hadn't joined me again until tonight when she saw me leaving and ran to join me.  So I didn't have my camera along for photos, which I regretted later.

No "Are we there yet?" calls to me this time.  Once we were at the fence Daisy relaxed and looked around.  Occasionally she would check out the fence post hole I was digging; other times she came over to rub against me and to be petted.

Later a large wild turkey came walking close by.  Man I wish I had my camera.  Each evening this turkey comes to roost in a tree nearby and each night I get closer as I move along the fence rebuild.  Tonight we were pretty close to its roosting tree.  The turkey came walking almost ten feet from Daisy.  That got Daisy's interest.  Soon she was stalking the turkey as it walked along.  The turkey was two to three times the size of Daisy.  She wanted to hunt the bird but the large size made her cautious.

The turkey started to walk up the leaning curved tree trunk but changed its mind and headed down the short hill next to the tree.  Daisy disappeared over the side too.  I had to walk over as if Daisy did decide to go for the bird I may have to rescue her.  Soon Daisy decided the bird was too big for her and she came over to me and hopped up and into my empty wheelbarrow where she laid down.

A short time later the turkey came back to the tree and walked up the trunk until the tree grew straight up.  Then with a hop and flap of its wings the turkey flew a short way up into the tree where it roosts for the night and watches the sun set.

When the turkey flew up in the tree Daisy's eyes got big and she did a double take before looking over my way as if to say, "Did you see that?!!".

Again on the way home I walked through Wyatt's field and checked my pocket gopher traps (three more gophers trapped in the evening).  Daisy was trailing behind me when an owl I had heard hooting earlier flew from my pasture out across Wyatt's field and away.  I turned around and Daisy was flat against the ground until the owl was in the distance.

Between the dew that was settling in, and threading our way through and around the irrigation sprinklers, Daisy's legs were very wet once we got home.  At least I didn't hear her complaining as we walked this evening.