... flight, something we often don’t think about when we think of wild turkeys. Obviously, wild turkeys spend most of their day on the ground and they are supremely adapted to doing so – keen vision and hearing, wariness, and speed on the run. But flight is a critically important component of how wild turkeys survive....
... large birds like turkeys generate enough lift to take flight by gaining speed just prior to take-off, which is why turkeys briefly run (or sprint!) just before taking flight. In fact, the take-off is the most energetically demanding part of flight, because the bird has to generate airflow over the wings to produce lift – one way to get around this issue is to drop into the air from a perched location and sail to the intended destination. Wild turkeys drop from perched locations when they leave the roost, but they’ll also fly into trees during the day and sail to other locations as necessary...
Here's Rosie getting a running start before she flies up to her nesting spot in a tree on the Rivercross Lawn.
Astoria the Wild Turkey gracefully flies up to her roosting tree on Roosevelt Island, then to a higher branch. She shows excellent balance despite her large size. 🦃 ❤️ ⚖️ pic.twitter.com/7QPKcgnF7s
Some residents start getting nervous when they don't see Rosie The Roosevelt
Island Turkey out and about the neighborhood for a few days and worry about
how she handling the cold and snow this winter.
Rosie is a wild animal. By all reports, she is doing fine.
Maybe it will find some seeds while pecking on that dead plant? The wild
turkey at Roosevelt Island fr this morning.
#wildturkeypic.twitter.com/qOB7kgHSfY
"Astoria, you are cleared for takeoff." Well after sunset, Roosevelt
Island's Wild Turkey flies up to her favorite tree where she can enjoy a
safe and restful night. 🦃 ❤️ 💤
pic.twitter.com/x7QbynhXDT
... It's a wild bird. Turkeys have over 5,000 feathers that provide excellent insulation. They can store fat in the spring, summer and fall by eating fruits, nuts, berries, plants and seeds. Wild Turkeys can survive and thrive eating natural foods and do not need food from people.
Snow storms? Turkey stay in trees during severe storms. Winter is for all wildlife.
Hanabi has been chronicling the daily exploits of Rosie and show us her competing for turf with a cat at the Roosevelt Island Public Library Patio Garden.
Thanks for this unusual footage! Astoria stayed safe while watching this intruder.
Astoria the Wild Turkey was in fine form on this chilly Monday morning, eating last night's snow, a much-needed natural source of water that she can enjoy all day in her favorite garden on Roosevelt Island. 🦃 ❤️ ❄️ pic.twitter.com/cov9xrgMSA
The
Manhattan Bird Alert
and Hanabi have been
chronicling the exploits of Rosie the wild turkey since her arrival last
May on Roosevelt Island
where she has made her home and has become our well liked neighbor.
Yesterday, the Manhattan Bird Alert showed us Rosie flying up to her
nightly Roosevelt Island roosting tree.
Some unusual footage: after a demanding day of Wild Turkey business,
Astoria sprints to achieve takeoff velocity and flies up to her nightly
roosting tree on Roosevelt Island. 🦃 ❤️ 💤
pic.twitter.com/6iFQfZlcOf
At other times, Rosie has been spotted hanging out at the Roosevelt Island
Starbucks.
Astoria the Wild Turkey remains a keen observer of goings-on at the local
Starbucks from the vantage point of her favorite tree. 🦃 ❤️ ☕
pic.twitter.com/FiFWZusuBf
A few days before Thanksgiving, ABC news profiled Rosie the Roosevelt Island Turkey, a/k/a Astoria, A Roosevelt Island Tipster reported last Thursday:
At 4:00 this morning the final feature on Good Morning America First Look was a great piece on our Turkey & our Island.
Downside — which, unfortunately might result in even more Overcrowding Tram tourism ...
The Manhattan Bird Alert and Hanabi have been chronicling the exploits of Rosie and are concerned that the Turkey will not be able to find food and water on its own as the weather gets colder this winter.
According to the Manhattan Bird Alert:
It's time to encourage Rosie's friends to feed her! We think that she is running out of insects to eat and there is little or no tree fruit or seeds for her.
Wild Turkeys in nature can rely on nearby streams and water bodies to get them through dry spells, but Roosevelt Island has none, and the East River is a saltwater estuary.
I asked Roosevelt Island resident Rossana Ceruzzi, a NY State and Federal licensed Animal Rehabilitator and President of the Wildlife Freedom Foundation about people feeding Rosie for the winter. Ms. Ceruzzi answered:
It's a wild bird. Turkeys have over 5,000 feathers that provide excellent insulation. They can store fat in the spring, summer and fall by eating fruits, nuts, berries, plants and seeds. Wild Turkeys can survive and thrive eating natural foods and do not need food from people.
Snow storms? Turkey stay in trees during severe storms. Winter is for all wildlife.
Spotted Rosie the Turkey roaming Roosevelt Island this evening near the Blackwell Park Water Fountain and crossing Main Street.
Rosie had a close encounter with oncoming Main Street traffic and the Red Bus tonight but was protected by a concerned resident who helped her safely cross the street.
No one knows how the wild turkey Astoria got to NYC, which is a long way from wild turkey populations. After spending time roaming the City--including Queens, where she got her name--she took flight across the East River to Roosevelt Island in May. https://t.co/HEDiRVt6m5
... are concerned for the safety of Rosie (A/K/A Astoria) the Roosevelt
Island wild Turkey....
and sent a message to me asking:
We wanted to raise a concern about the Turkey that you might be able to
address. Astoria crosses streets every day and that is a bit dangerous.
She sometimes appears to wait for traffic to move through. Sometimes
people help her make it across safely. And the speed limit is low. 15 mph
we believe. All good things.
Maybe you have some ideas on how to make her life even safer. Signage
perhaps? Encouraging local drivers to watch out for her? Encouraging
pedestrians to help her when she is near the road?
We now have Main Street Wild Turkey Crossing signage
Roosevelt Island residents and government work together to erect "Turkey
Crossing" signs to make Astoria (aka Rosie) the Wild Turkey's life
safer—the first such signs in NYC. 🦃 ❤️https://t.co/xcM4hIxMpx
... A concerned neighbor dropped off two of such signs at the Roosevelt
Island Operating Corporation office Friday morning, which the local
governing body said will be erected at some of Rosie’s hangout spots in
the next few days.
“I worry because Ms. Turkey, Rosie, she doesn’t have a good sense of
direction, and she just walks in the middle of the street. She doesn’t
know any better,” Judy Berdy, 77, who made the placards, told The Post....
Tipster Theresa Bosbach shares this photo
of a flyer she spotted in the subway from a writer seeking stories about our
Rosie the Roosevelt Island Turkey for an article.
We wanted to raise a concern about the Turkey that you might be able to address. Astoria crosses streets every day and that is a bit dangerous. She sometimes appears to wait for traffic to move through. Sometimes people help her make it across safely. And the speed limit is low. 15 mph we believe. All good things.
Maybe you have some ideas on how to make her life even safer. Signage perhaps? Encouraging local drivers to watch out for her? Encouraging pedestrians to help her when she is near the road?
I recommended contacting the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) about any signage or other measures to keep Rosie the Turkey safe.
This afternoon, Rosie was spotted crossing Main Street from Blackwell Park to the Rivercross lawn as cars waited for her to get onto the sidewalk.
Also today, a Roosevelt Island tipster shares these photos of the Canadian Geese stopping Main Street traffic. According to the Tipster:
This traffic jam made me laugh.
A lady had to get out of the car to shoo them away.
The NY Post reported on Rosie the Roosevelt Island Turkey too.
Our @nypost story on Astoria/Rosie here! It was so fun chilling with this beautiful creature. I hope and pray she stays safe! Despite the troubling news, I was uplifted to see many Roosevelt Islanders so protective of the turkey. I hope it stays that way!https://t.co/iwvS9GF26X
If anyone witnesses Rosie/Astoria being mistreated, call 911. A beat patrol officer I spoke to urged citizens to report any wildlife abuse. Throwing rocks, for ex., is considered animal cruelty, per NY state laws. It will take a village to ensure Rosie/Astoria’s continued safety.
A wild turkey has been roaming around NYC in recent weeks, spotted on the streets of Manhattan, Brooklyn and Astoria, Queens.This week the turkey has been seen exploring Roosevelt Island....
The Turkey has been named Astoria on social media
Our #1 favorite bird of Spring 2024 is Astoria the Wild Turkey. She became instantly famous by showing up on East 49th Street in midtown Manhattan on May 7, visiting Saks Fifth Avenue, and staying a week in the area before flying to Roosevelt Island. 🦃 ❤️ pic.twitter.com/HET4ZZCLcd
— Manhattan Bird Alert (@BirdCentralPark) June 13, 2024
but here on Roosevelt Island, many call her Rosie.
Rosie has brought joy, an appreciation for our wildlife and a smile to the faces of the many people who see her roaming around Roosevelt Island.
Except, there are a few people who have been harassing Rosie.
A Roosevelt Island resident reported this morning:
I felt like sending you this message, because I feel like you are a good voice for our Roosevelt Island community. Thank you so much for your social media presence.
Yesterday afternoon as I was headed to the subway station, I saw the wild Turkey. It has become a lovely and surprising sighting every time I get to see it.
There was a family of five in front of me, including a boy in his late teens and his father. The boy threw a rock to the wild Turkey. I was appalled by this and called him out. His father jumped to his defense very aggressively saying things like “relax man, it’s just a turkey”. They couldn’t understand why I would stand up for a living creature.
I was so offended and disturbed by these behaviors and attitudes. I wanted to share this with you, so maybe you can send a message of care for animals, especially our unlikely visitor.
Another local person reported observing and stopping several children from shooting water pistols at Rosie.
Let's leave Rosie alone and enjoy her presence on Roosevelt Island from a safe distance.
Saturday 6/8… went to find my girl Astoria the Wild Turkey on Roosevelt Island 🦃🫶🏻 she was in her tree pic.twitter.com/ytK5xY7XV1
It's a wild female turkey. She has been "traveling" for 3 weeks now. The first time I was called the bird landed on the street in Astoria and was walking on the sidewalk. Then she moved to a park. Later I got a few calls from Manhattan. And now she is visiting Roosevelt Island.
Please remember she is a wild Turkey and not a domestic Turkey. They should never be approached. Wild Turkeys are the largest upland game bird in North America and they reproduce this time of year.
A wild turkey has been roaming around NYC in recent weeks, spotted on the streets of Manhattan, Brooklyn and Astoria, Queens.
Astoria, the wild turkey, is the latest bird celebrity in NYC, and reminds us of the challenges all wild birds face in urban environments 🦃https://t.co/LhPs4bEJdQ
It's a wild female turkey. She has been "traveling" for 3 weeks now. The first time I was called the bird landed on the street in Astoria and was walking on the sidewalk. Then she moved to a park. Later I got a few calls from Manhattan. And now she is visiting Roosevelt Island.
Please remember she is a wild Turkey and not a domestic Turkey. They should never be approached. Wild Turkeys are the largest upland game bird in North America and they reproduce this time of year.
Ms Ceruzzi shares these videos of the Wild Turkey's Roosevelt Island exploration.
More on the Turkey's New York adventure from Pix 11 News.
A resident walking his dog today shares this video of the wild Turkey roaming Roosevelt Island.
UPDATE 5/20:
Roosevelt Island is getting Turkey tourists.
Next time someone says it’s hard to get to Roosevelt Island, I’ll be like, “A turkey could fly there!”
Roosevelt Island is a mixed income, racially diverse waterfront community situated in the East River of New York City between Manhattan and Queens and is jurisdictionally part of Manhattan. The Roosevelt Island Tramway, which connects Roosevelt Island to the rest of Manhattan, has become the iconic symbol of Roosevelt Island to its residents.
The Purpose of this Blog is to provide accurate and timely information about Roosevelt Island as well as a forum for residents to express opinions and engage in a dialogue to improve our community.
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