[EBB Sightings] turkeys at Rossmoor

Re: birdwatching at Rossmoor

You have to be invited by a resident. If any of the birders here are 
residents, they can invite you (and may do so after seeing this). I am 
an employee and don't have those privileges, unfortunately. There is a 
bird watchers club here that takes walks every Monday on the golf 
course (which is closed for lawn mowing and such). I would hope they 
would consider an annual or semi-annual birders day for Audubon-ers or 
others but its presumptuous on my part to suggest it in the larger 
scheme of things. Security is a concern here of course because of the 
relative vulnerability of the residents, as in other retirement 
communities.

Should you get invited, at this time of year  the turkeys can be seen 
commonly on the uphill part of Stanley Dollar Drive on either side of 
the street. They roost on the west side of the road in the 
aforementioned gullies but wander from there in all directions during 
the day. A bonus is that many of the deer also are around the same 
turf. Of course the residents are a bit sensitive about too many folks 
peering around with binocs but I use judgment when out for noon-time 
walks.

Of course it would be just bad luck that they might be elsewhere on the 
day you came! In the fall, from about November to mid-December, they 
come down to the Dollar House to eat many fallen berries and the 
maintenance guys actually shoosh em away because they befoul the picnic 
tables and such. The previous owner of the valley, Stanley Dollar, 
loved trees and planted many, many fruit and berry trees so there are 
tons of available food. The turkeys actually are right on the golf 
course where, along the edges, some of these berries fall. in November 
you can walk along the lawn and see turkeys, deer,  crows and squirrels 
munchin' away (some serious chasin' between the squirrels and crows 
occurs). i will publish some photos soon that I have taken (I have to 
set up a Snapfish or something and have been procrastinatin').

Good luck.