Turkeys Gone Wild: Add Your Photos, Gobbler Tales

We know they are out there. Strutting in not-so-stealthy flocks through the yards and gardens of Lamorinda. The wild turkeys are among us.

But we don't have pictures.

Help create a Lamorinda Patch portfolio of Meleagris gallopavo (the scientific name of California's wild turkeys) by sharing your photographs of wild turkeys in and around town. Just click on the "Submit photo and video" button and follow the simple instructions.

We've started things off with a recent photo of wild turkeys "occupying" a shopping street in Alameda, courtesy of Alameda Patch.

You can also add your turkey comments, tidbits of turkey lore and groaner turkey jokes in the comments section below.

Meanwhile, here's more about the Bay Area's wild turkeys:

Contra Costa County's Animal Services notes in an FAQ that they are unable to respond to wild turkey situations, unless the turkey is injured or creating a public safety hazard.

Feeding Wild Turkeys Will Bring Problems Homes to Roost. The California Department of Fish and Game offers turkey tips. Here's one — if you meet a turkey in the rain and it won't give up the right-of-way, approach it with your umbrella open and extended in front of you.

Wild Neighbors: The Wild Turkey: Threat or Menace? Not everyone loves a wild turkey. The Berkeley Daily Planet discusses the controversy.

Give Thanks for Wild Turkeys. KQED Quest talks turkey.

Wild Turkey: A Native California Bird?  If you really, really care whether California's wild turkeys are introduced or originally had their roots in the state.