CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Mr. Gobbles is a lone turkey winning the hearts of the residents in the small community of Quarry.

QUARRY — A two-legged resident ‘wattles’ around a section of this tiny town, stopping every now and then to check himself out in one of the resident’s mirrors or reflective vehicle bumpers.

Quarry resident Kassie McGerr said Mr. Gobbles, the neighborhood turkey, likes to look at himself in her mirror which she has against a shed.

“He would be there almost all day, every day when it was warmer,” she said. “Now that it’s colder, not so much. Instead he’s been flying on top of the building and sleeping.”

One behavior McGerr noted was Mr. Gobbles will perk up to make himself look “big and bad” by puffing his chest out and lifting his head during his mirror time.

According to Jim Coffey, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources forest wildlife biologist and turkey expert, Mr. Gobbles’ mirror obsession is not uncommon for male turkeys with access to reflective surfaces. He has seen the behavior if turkeys are around buildings with large windows and even shiny hubcaps. The latter can lead to traffic issues.

“Some think it is vanity, but in reality they cannot differentiate themselves from another male bird so they are typically trying to express dominance – create a pecking order – for the flock,” he said. “This behavior may lead to chest bumping the image, pecking, wing flapping or kicking or spurring the image.”

However, there is no flock for Mr. Gobbles. He is a lone turkey. McGerr has not seen nor heard of other turkeys around Quarry, which she said is weird.

While the inclination to live in flocks is a survival and social behavior, male turkeys typically segregate themselves from females and the young of the year.

“The male groups can be much smaller,” Coffey said. “Sometimes only being a few or even one animal.”

Whether or not Mr. Gobbles is domesticated or wild is not known, but Coffey added that wild turkeys can habituate themselves to certain areas, such as what Mr. Gobbles has done.

McGerr said Mr. Gobbles was adopted by a resident across the street who makes sure the turkey gets enough food and water. Coffey said if other people get the urge to feed Mr. Gobbles, they should avoid it, as it could be detrimental to his survival.

“Although we think we may be helping wild animals by feeding them, it can change their behaviors and abilities to be self-reliant,” he said. “Turkeys are very generalistic in their diets – eating whatever is seasonally available. They will obviously eat bugs, seeds and vegetation but many things make up a wild turkey diet in the wild.”

Sometimes wild turkeys will eat fermented crabapples, which Coffey noted they do in the fall or winter.

“[They] become drunk from the fermented berries,” he said. “This can lead to some odd turkey behavior including stumbling and chasing.”

Coffey also requested people and new fans of Mr. Gobbles to give him his space and freedom. If he is a wild animal, he could be unpredictable.

“Additional harassment could make Mr. Gobbles change his routine or avoid the area altogether, lessening the experience for others,” he said. “Observing wild animals can be very rewarding and cathartic for people. Do not approach or corner any wild animal into a situation where it will have to defend itself.”

Wild turkeys are found in all 99 Iowa counties, Coffey said. With turkey hunting season, 15,000 will grace Marshall County Thanksgiving dinner tables. But Mr. Gobbles will not be one.

“Enjoy Mr. Gobbles while he is around,” he said.

That is something McGerr said she believes Quarry residents are doing – enjoying his presence. She recalled a tale dated before she moved to the small community of a dog being elected the “mayor.” This dog would go from house to house to get hot dogs and everyone loved him.

“I think Mr. Gobbles may have taken on that role,” she said. “He just wanders around.”

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Contact Lana Bradstream

at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or

lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.