I found a flock of about 20 Wild Turkeys (photo below) this morning in a patch of woods near our home. It’s a small remnant of the Big Woods that in pre-settlement times covered much of Minnesota from here south. There are several Big Woods remnants in this area, two of them designated Scientific and Natural Areas (SNA) by the DNR. One is Wood-Rill, off Long Lake Road in Orono, the other Wolsfeld Woods off County Road 6, also in Orono. Access for the latter is from the northwest corner of the Trinity Lutheran Church parking lot. The woods are wonderful right now, the trees bare, visibility great. It was easy to watch the turkeys as they foraged. Pileated, Downy, and Red-bellied woodpeckers were loudly rapping courtship messages. Black-capped Chickadees were singing. Bluebirds were in a nearby meadow, with robins and Red-winged Blackbirds. You can find information about SNAs at www.dnr.state.mn.us/snas/index.html. SNAs are special places, well worth visiting.  

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