WEST SEATTLE TURKEY: Mystery bird still moving east

FRIDAY REPORT: Thanks to Lynn Hall for the newest photo of the “West Seattle turkey,” two weeks since we started hearing about sightings and receiving photos. It seems to still be headed north/east – Lynn spotted it along Alki Avenue this morning; that’s where Jan Pendergrass saw it on Thursday:

Sighting reports started in Seola, moved through Arbor Heights and Fauntleroy, along Beach Drive, to Alki Point, and now north/eastward along Duwamish Head. Still no word of anyone looking for a missing turkey. We’re checking with the Seattle Animal Shelter to see if they’ve had any reports from elsewhere in the city; three years ago, SAS speculated the turkey seen around town then might have escaped from a “private flock.”

SATURDAY UPDATE: Still headed east – but now south, with sightings in Fairmount Ravine and Belvidere:

That photo is from Catherine, who says, “Just saw the turkey this afternoon while walking through our neighborhood. Made me smile. Up on 38th Ave SW in the Belvedere neighborhood.”

SUNDAY REPORT: A photo from 10:30 am at 38th SW/Olga:

Thanks for sending the updates!

MONDAY UPDATES: Jody spotted it on “37th Ave SW between Stevens and Olga.”

Then it turned up in Tim‘s garden int the 2700 block of 38th SW:

After garden mayhem, Tim reported, the turkey took a nap.

TUESDAY UPDATES: The reports we received today were from the same general area. From Michael Ross:

From Regan:

There might be a reason the turkey’s lingered there. Rose De Dan of Wild Reiki and Shamanic Healing said she invited it to visit. She finally got to see it:

Tonight, around 7:30 p.m. I heard the very loud and distinct sound of a turkey gobbling! I looked out my front window which faces 39th and Lander, and there he is in all his puffed up glory, strutting down the street, gobbling away, and headed right toward my house. It is definitely a he, since only the males gobble. He is issuing a call to any lady turkeys in the nearby vicinity. Poor guy, I sincerely hope he finds a lady love.

He is definitely wild. As soon as I opened my front door he hightailed it in the direction of the greenbelt that runs behind the houses across the street from me. The neighbors have seen him fence hopping from yard to yard.

I did not see him again, but heard him gobbling away for a little while longer. I am so grateful that he came to call (literally), and I hope that he finds the female turkey of his dreams …

32 Replies to "WEST SEATTLE TURKEY: Mystery bird still moving east"

  • 2Hi May 10, 2019 (2:56 pm)

    He’s just looking for love. And at the end of the day, aren’t we all? Reminds me of a certain White Snake song. It’s no accident that millions of years of evolution has brought him to this very place and the odds that we should occupy the same time and space… I mean, I guess I’m jut sayin’, I think we could all learn a little something from this turkey. 

    • LyndaB May 10, 2019 (4:30 pm)

      Yep.  :) You got it, dude. 

  • Jethro Marx May 10, 2019 (6:01 pm)

    I’m pretty sure that pheasant or someone is pranking her- she probably asked how to get to South Park and they said, “Just keep the water on your left wing…”

  • James Clark May 10, 2019 (6:26 pm)

    Wonder if he will be around by November?

  • Graciano May 10, 2019 (6:30 pm)

    If you see the turkey, please leave him alone and keep your distance.
    It’s stories like this that make you laugh.

  • Calinda May 10, 2019 (7:21 pm)

    Husb saw it at Austin and Fauntleroy walking to the bus last Saturday around 10:30am. 

    • waikikigirl May 10, 2019 (8:10 pm)

      Calinda, the turkey was walking to the bus?! LOL!!! ;>)

  • Tim May 10, 2019 (7:53 pm)

    Seen on Harbor Ave at the Chinn project across from the boat launch this morning standing on a pile of gravel. I’m guessing waiting for the Water Taxi. Next stop ?

  • Jwws May 11, 2019 (7:00 am)

    Guys, that is a female hen, not a male wild turkey and she is probably looking for a mate, poor thing !   https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_turkey

  • Mastor May 11, 2019 (12:57 pm)

    38th and Lander this morning. 

    • Mastor May 11, 2019 (10:05 pm)

  • B & B May 11, 2019 (3:03 pm)

    We just saw the West Seattle Turkey (or whatever type of bird it is)! Saturday, May 11th at around 1pm, we were walking through the North Admiral District shopping at all the garage sales, when, at the corner of 38th and Lander, we saw this giant bird walking down the sidewalk! “There’s the West Seattle Turkey,” I called out! It walked up into some bushes, between two houses and found a nice shady spot in someone’s front yard.

  • AD May 11, 2019 (4:11 pm)

    We saw it on May 11 around 3 pm on 38th ave sw near Admiral. 

  • Jim May 12, 2019 (8:28 am)

    Looks like a Merriam’s Turkey in that last photo. That would make sense. They have spread into Southwest Washington.

  • BMC May 12, 2019 (8:32 pm)

    38th & Olga this evening : )

  • jsparra May 14, 2019 (11:37 am)

    looks delicious

    • momosmom May 14, 2019 (1:11 pm)

      Really??? delicious? do you know what a “wild” birds diet consists of and you think delicious?

  • Ms. Belvidere May 14, 2019 (2:21 pm)

    May 14th, now at 38th and Admiral. 

  • Jim May 14, 2019 (8:02 pm)

    Seymour the turkey just looking around…she knows where she’s going.  

  • Ms. Belvidere May 14, 2019 (8:12 pm)

    She (yes it’s a girl) is most likely domestic since she is so docile. If you can contain her in your backyard or a fenced enclosure, animal control will come collect her and get her to safer quarters, likely PAWS. I called both today to get information. She isn’t native, and if we can keep her from getting hit by a car or attacked by another animal that would be awesome! We tried to lure her into a backyard today without any success. She was last seen about 6:30 headed towards Lander on 38th ave SW.

    • Maria May 15, 2019 (11:24 pm)

      No, please.   As Paul McCartney says – Let it be.

    • Anna May 24, 2019 (12:59 pm)

      This is a wild turkey and no need to take it anywhere. There are native to this area and I have encountered them in the Cascades. The one I saw in the mountains looked just like that one and let people get to it very close  They are not very “fast” birds and when flu they look like they are having a hard time, so they might look dolcile but still be wild. Leave it alone, it obviously has gotten around for several days and is comfortable – why take it anywhere? 

  • Rose De Dan May 14, 2019 (10:41 pm)

    Assuming this is the same turkey, he’s male. He was walking down SW 39th toward the
    corner of Lander Street, all puffed up and strutting his stuff while gobbling loudly. Only male turkeys gobble. He is looking for a lady love, and he is quite wild. Please admire him from afar, leave him be, and wish him well in his search for a wife.

    • momsmom May 15, 2019 (10:27 am)

      Rose de Dan, did the turkey cause this accident or is my computer the only one seeing the “split street” accident pic and nothing of the turkey???

      • WSB May 15, 2019 (10:41 am)

        Sorry, as I’ve mentioned a few times before, our “image upload” feature doesn’t always play back true to what was uploaded. It was fine yesterday but apparently has broken down today. So I need to try hardcoding. (Although oddly it looks fine in my view – I see a turkey with Rose’s watermark.)

        • momosmom May 15, 2019 (12:19 pm)

          This is what I see

          (editor’s note: image of unrelated crash scene removed)

          • WSB May 15, 2019 (2:54 pm)

            Should show true now (Rose’s turkey pic).

      • Rose De Dan May 15, 2019 (2:57 pm)

        MomsMom, it appears to be a tech issue as WSB says. My screen shows an incorrect image, too. If you would like to to see all the photos you can visit my blog post: https://reikishamanic.com/2019/05/14/the-wild-turkey-comes-calling/If I am fortunate enough to see him again I will certainly post updates!

  • Graciano May 15, 2019 (7:21 am)

    Why do people think that they need to intervene, your selfish actions would be the end of the story. 

  • Florence Kay Fiddler-Lovell May 15, 2019 (5:09 pm)

    We’ve taken to calling him Waldo (as in Where’s Waldo).  But some are saying Waldina now.  Could it be two birds?  My eyes are not good enough to closely compare the two pictures.  If you have good eyes and can do that, I’d love to know.   I’d also love to hear if other families have named it?

  • WiseWoman May 15, 2019 (10:00 pm)

    He/She/They cross streets better than most civilian adults, using crosswalks, staying on the right of road, sidewalks. It’s a Military Memorial Turkey. Just a laugh for us Veterans that would understand.

  • Dawn May 17, 2019 (4:20 pm)

    Let it be? Would you feel the same way if a bear or cougar were wandering around the neighborhood? If it’s wild, it belongs in it’s natural habitat where it can socialize with its group. If it’s domesticated, then it got loose. Either way, it shouldn’t be wandering around the city where it’s more vulnerable to getting hit by a car and potentially causing an accident. That poor bird has been wandering around West Seattle for too long. Turkey’s are social animals. How cute it’s been gobbling for a Lady Love. He’s not going to find it in West Seattle. It needs to be relocated to a safer place. @Ms. Belvidere, thank you for the info on animal control/PAWS assistance.

Sorry, comment time is over.