Here is a new sighting for me on this #featheredfriday
I never knew there was such a thing as a cattle egret.
From a distance I thought it looked like a seagull. But as I zoomed in it was more egret-like.
The cows seemed to like it hopping around on its back. They like to eat the annoying flies and ticks off their backs.
They don't even mind them sitting on their head. I'm sure their ears need some tick pruning too. Next time I see a bunch of cows in a pasture I'll be looking for these cattle egrets. They also have amazing plumage during breeding season where they get peach colored feathers.
Where there are cows there are sparrows as well. These guys are snacking on an old pile of manure. Perhaps there are undigested seeds in the cow patties? Or at the very least some grubs.
Here is a different feathered friend sighting on the other side of the farm.
The farmers are moving them to a different grass plot.
They put a bunch of feed around their tractors to distract them while they moved the fencing to a new spot.
Many of the turkeys wanted to escape and tried to break through the opening the farmers were trying to close. For the most part the farmers were able to keep them herded while trying to reestablish the fence perimeter.
But this batch on the far end of the fence might get out... Maybe that's why I see quite a few wild turkeys roaming around. Sadly thanksgiving is coming soon for these guys and they are all reserved. Perhaps a few managed to escape to meet the other wild turkeys in the woods.
That's all for now, thanks for looking :-)
Thanks again @brumest :-)
Greetings @sketch.and.jam ,
Delightful photographs of these farm animals...thank you!
Enjoyed your commentary and photography. ^__^
Kind Regards,
Bleujay
Thanks for looking :-)
Funny herding story. I was wondering what attracted all those turkeys to the tractor lol I remember see cattle egrets in Louisiana. All egrets are pretty birds 👍
Turkey psychology, tractor = food, rush the tractor while fence gets put up around you. I'll definitely try and go back during their peach plumage season for the cattle egrets.
Thanks :-)
Turkeys can be ill tempered. This many turkeys makes me anxious 😆
Especially if they think you have food, they're almost as bad as geese for attacking.
I got attacked as a kid by one of them, so I don't trust being around them. It's still cool to see so many in these shots.
For me it was white geese that attacked me lol, they got a couple good bites in before I outran them.
😂