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   It is nice to sleep with a window open when the nights are cool. The problem with having a bedroom window is the happy little birds like to wake up before I do. Between 5:00  and 5:30 a.m. all sorts of birds are just outside the window singing their little hearts out. It is a combination of pretty melodies that would be enjoyable to listen to if they were not doing it when it is barely light outside. A person might as well give up, grab a cup of coffee, and go sit on the porch to enjoy the concert.

   One morning last week, this was exactly what I was doing after the birds woke me up, which in turn woke up the dog. The first thing he wants to do when he gets up is to go outside and check to see what has been walking across his lawn during the night. We were watching the little birds coming to eat jelly when I heard a turkey gobble across the lake up at the Top Gate. Turkey season was still open so I thought it might be fun to see if I could call him. I went in and got my turkey call and in the remote possibility I did call him in, I grabbed the shotgun out of the gun case.

   Since our house is gray and I was wearing a gray sweat suit, I felt well camouflaged as I sat on the porch with my coffee nearby. I started calling and the gobbler answered immediately. He was about 400 yards away. To get within shooting range, he had to come down the hill, cross the dam and come up into the yard. The chances of this happening were remote but not impossible. It would be a good time seeing if I could make it happen. I would call and he would answer with a hearty gobble every time. He moved from the top of the hill to the bottom and then would work his way back up. He and I called back and forth for an hour or more. He covered a lot of territory during this time but did not get dramatically closer. When he would get to the bottom of the hill, he would gobble, strut, and go back to his starting point. The last time he was making his way back up the hill, though he was still actively strutting and gobbling, I decided I had better give it up and get ready for work. I put my call away, unloaded the shotgun and put it back in the case. Heading to the shower, I glanced up the hill toward the Top Gate to see him strutting at the same place he started over an hour before. It had been a good time, but I knew I was not going to win this battle. After my shower and getting dressed, I grabbed another cup of coffee and looked up to the Top Gate to see if the gobbler was still up there. He was not there but I noticed something on the top of the dam coming toward the house. It was my turkey, strolling along, coming directly toward me. If I had been a bit more patient, he may have made his way into the yard. I knew it was pointless to sneak out to the porch again as I am sure he would have seen me. He got a free pass and I went to work.

   Most of the time, my wife and I enjoy watching the birds, whether it is the tanagers and orioles eating jelly or the turkeys strutting in the pasture or eagles and vultures soaring overhead. Other times, they can be a bit frustrating when they wake a person up in the morning or refuse to come when called.

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