Wild turkeys invade Stamford neighborhoods

A gang of wild turkeys have invaded the Turn of River and Newfield neighborhoods. A gang of wild turkeys have invaded the Turn of River and Newfield neighborhoods. Photo: Michael Cummo / Hearst Connecticut Media Photo: Michael Cummo / Hearst Connecticut Media Image 1 of / 66 Caption Close Wild turkeys invade Stamford neighborhoods 1 / 66 Back to Gallery

STAMFORD — Turn of River and Newfield residents are hoping to take their backyards back from a gang of wild turkeys.

After some neighbors started feeding the hefty ground birds over the summer, humans have lost their spot at the top of the animal kingdom hierarchy.

“When turkeys are fed by people, they become habituated to them and start to see them on the same level as other turkeys,” said Michael Gregonis, a Department of Energy and Environmental Protection wild turkey program biologist. “There’s a hierarchy in turkey flocks and each turkey has its place and they fight among themselves.”

For weeks, City Rep. Steven Kolenberg, whose district includes the Turn of River and Newfield neighborhoods, has received complaints from residents who say they’ve been chased or attacked by these aggressive turkeys.

“This is one of the stranger constituent complaints or issues I’ve gotten, but that doesn’t make it any less serious,” Kolenberg said. “These birds may come across as silly-looking, but they are very territorial, and if you feed them, they become aggressive.”

He says the problem birds are the two Tom turkeys who roam around the Pepper Ridge Road area, occasionally accompanied by a female bird or two.

“I have been getting several complaints, mostly from older people afraid to leave their houses, and a few joggers who have been chased,” Kolenberg said. “But my biggest concern is for Newfield Elementary School, which is in the middle of these turkeys’ territory.”

Kolenberg enlisted the help of Stamford Animal Control on Thursday to attempt to capture and remove the wild turkeys from his district.

“It’s a public safety issue at this point,” he said. “We need the community to come together, stop feeding the turkeys, and if they still continue to come around, we need to harass them and push them out and make it uncomfortable for these turkeys to be in our neighborhood.”

Gregonis said once the birds lose their fear of people, they tend to target the elderly, children and, surprisingly, mail carriers.

“It’s likely they target mail carriers because they come every day — it’s a routine that’s set up,” he said.

It’s gotten so bad for Stamford mail carriers that the post office sent a letter to Turn of River residents, requesting they stop feeding the turkeys.

“From what I’ve been told, this has been happening to carriers all summer, and it’s just the mail carriers they’re chasing,” said Kevin Stewart, a postal service supervisor in Stamford. “Sometimes they’ve said people in the area have to come out and chase (the turkeys) out with a broom.”

This isn’t the first time turkeys have ruled the roost in a Stamford neighborhood. In 2014, a mother with her daughter and a friend were surrounded by a rafter of turkeys that used to guard the entrance of Doral Farm on Roxbury Road.

Coming face-to-face with a wild turkey can be quite intimidating. The birds can grow to be up to 24 pounds, with a wingspan of close to 5 feet.

Gregonis said the best way to avoid a turkey attack is to slowly walk away — don’t back away or run — and put as much distance as possible between yourself and the bird. It’s also helpful to appear larger and aggressive.

“Generally, if you’re aggressive toward the turkey, they will back down,” Gregonis said.

It’s a common misconception that a turkey will use its beak as a weapon, Gregonis said, but they will take swipes with their large, heavy wings. Males also have spurs that they use in defense, Gregonis said.

Gregonis says the easiest way to rid the neighborhood of the gobbling terrors is to immediately stop feeding and leaving out food.

”The first thing you need to do is get all the food out," he said. “That’s enough to move them back into woods.”

nnaughton@stamfordadvocate.com; @noranaughton