Everyone's got a turkey story

Everyone, it seems, has a story.

Fearless, fully grown turkeys appear in parking lots or parking spaces, most often in the pastoral area of the North Campus around Crofts Hall and the Center for Tomorrow. Looking to park their cars, UB employees approach the turkeys, who frequently appear in pairs. The turkeys approach the cars, then block the way when the cars come close. Eventually, they move to one side of the car and start pecking at the tires.

Variations of these turkey encounters are becoming more frequent. The birds position themselves in common pathways and entrances. On more than one morning they have perched on the railing next to the main entrance to Crofts, looking like prehistoric sentries and bringing to mind the opening of “Hamlet” or a certain Hitchcock movie.

If the mother goose at the School of Law was a UB call of the wild, these latest episodes in the ongoing balance between wildlife and university life could be something a bit more … serious. What started out as offbeat and conversational wild turkey sightings around Crofts have become a continuing dispute for territory.

“I was about to pull into the Crofts Hall lot until I noticed two turkeys were just standing there and completely blocking the lot’s entrance,” says Robby Johnson, media relations assistant with University Communications.

“I stopped in front of them because the last thing I want to do is harm the turkeys, but they wouldn’t move out of the way, even when I blared my car horn at them. Once I started creeping the car forward, they seemed provoked and went into full-on attack mode and pecked away at my car,” Johnson recalls.

“It was like they had a reckless disregard for their own life. I wasn’t scared for my safety by any means, but I just had a slight feeling of helplessness because I didn’t know what to do except slowly drive away and hope I didn’t hit them.”

Johnson is not alone. Many employees have a turkey story.

One Crofts resident who rides his bike to work picked up what he recognized as a turkey feather as he rode through a path from Sweet Home Road to Service Center Road, which flanks the Crofts parking lot. The turkeys chased him on his bike as he rode along the path. (Editor’s note: That turkey feather remains on display in a University Communications cubicle.)

That cyclist also was hassled by two turkeys as he attempted to bring his bike through the front entrance of Crofts on Wednesday morning.

Another Crofts employee who had taken a picture of the turkeys sitting on the railing at the front of the building spotted the fowl on Service Center Road, and swears they were eying him in a menacing, disapproving way. One afternoon in mid-May, the turkeys surrounded a University Police car. The officer waited patiently until the turkeys went to one side of the car and — sure enough — pecked at the tires. He drove away slowly, and the turkeys chased the vehicle.

Another University Communications staff member — most names associated with turkey encounters were withheld to prevent retaliation — spotted two turkeys in the wooded area near the Crofts parking lot while on her way into the building. They were weaving and bobbing, she says, then jumped up and down and made cooing noises as they faced each other.

Another motorist leaving Crofts stopped his car as the turkeys positioned themselves in front of his vehicle, similar to what Johnson reported.

“Dude,” the driver yelled out the window. “Move.” They did move, but not right away.

Still another Crofts employee walked to the parking lot to find turkeys on the roof of his car. Others who encountered turkeys took photos from their cars to prove they weren’t making this up. One set of photos shows the turkeys in the winter, another in the late spring. And still another Crofts employee was seen in the parking lot chasing turkeys away from her car with a snow brush.

While there have been no reports of damage to cars or injuries to people from the turkeys, their presence has become, well, annoying for those who work at Crofts or visit the building. And they pose a dilemma for UB officials. Christopher Donacik, assistant director of facilities operation, has sent out several guidelines via UB email after hearing reports of Crofts employees feeding the turkeys.

Donacik’s talking points:

• The turkeys become overly aggressive toward employees and visitors, thinking that they have food available. This can be especially surprising to UB’s many visitors.
• The turkeys defecate on the walkways leading into the building, making for extra work for custodians, both outside and inside the building.
• The turkeys poke at the building masonry near doorways, causing damage that needs to be repaired with scarce resources.
• The turkeys chase vehicles thinking that they will get fed. They run in front of cars, which could easily lead to the turkeys being run over.
• These turkeys are wild birds who can find enough food in their natural habitat.  Feeding them can make them less resilient when resources are scarce.

Erin Moscati, sustainability education manager for UB Sustainability, is adamant about keeping healthy boundaries, for the good of both animals and humans.

“The most important thing for our campus community to remember is that these are wild animals who do not need our assistance,” says Moscati, whose Statler Commissary office is near the action. Moscati says the majority of the turkey sightings have been around Crofts, the Center for Tomorrow and adjacent Bizer Creek, which runs under Service Center Road. “The area near Bizer Creek is pretty perfect for them” she says. “They like the plants and insects.”

Moscati says the turkeys have been known to roost in trees at night, but when the mother hens lay eggs, they will stay on the ground with the eggs.

“Please do not feed them,” says Moscati. “People working in the Crofts area service complex have tried to feed the turkeys, typically things they think birds would like: crackers and bread and corn, all those things you would throw for a duck.

“Wild animals instinctively know how to forage for foods that are healthy for them. They must be able to survive on their own and find sustenance to survive,” she says. “Processed grains are not part of their normal diet. Healthy wild animals should be allowed to be wild. They are not our pets. And feeding wild animals actually puts them in danger. They can become dependent on humans, and then they become nuisances.”

If a wild animal begins to associate humans with food, “they could become more aggressive,” Moscati notes. “They are going to lose their fear of us, which is not healthy. They need to be in a defensive mode, especially around cars.”

Moscati says she has not heard of any instances of turkeys menacing people. Their bold behavior may be because they have gotten used to being fed and now expect the meals to continue, she says. She also says she has heard of birds and fowl becoming agitated when they see their reflection, interpreting this as a possible confrontation with another animal. So some turkeys that see their reflection in car windows could lose their cool.

As far as the turkeys chasing cars and pecking at tires, Moscati admits she is puzzled by this one.

“Noise is always a good way to scare off wild animals,” she says. “If someone is driving on campus and sees turkeys on the road, laying on the horn is a good way to clear the area. Not really stopping, but slowing rolling through would be a good way to avoid being surrounded.”

Moscati also suggests trying to make yourself appear larger than you are by clapping, yelling “hey,” waving your hands and stomping your feet.

As far as herself, Moscati says she has tried to observe the turkeys around Statler “from a distance.”

Humans who find themselves around the UB turkeys would benefit by heeding Donacik’s and Moscati’s advice. The campus cohabitation appears to be here to stay, or at least as long as the turkeys are agreeable. Neither Moscati nor Donacik say the university has any plans to clear the birds out or move them to another area. Like other incidents of wildlife and campus life at UB, it’s going to come down to co-existing, and respecting the habits of each other.

What’s more, members of the UB community should resist their well-intentioned impulses when it comes to “helping” the turkeys. They should not attempt to touch them physically, officials say.

Moscati suggests employees call the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation if they see a turkey chick in distress.

The DEC also asks residents to report any turkey sightings in August.

Those who find the presence of the turkeys oppressive can always get serious and stop feeding them, Moscati says.

“I am assuming the places they hang out are where they are getting the best snacks,” she says.