The following message has been forwarded through the Upper Valley  
Conservation Network e-mail list and originated from "N.H. Fish and  
Game".

>
> CONTACT:
> Ted Walski: 603-352-9669
> Jane Vachon: 603-271-3211
> January 6, 2010
>
>
> "CITIZEN BIOLOGISTS" ASKED TO REPORT WILD TURKEY FLOCK SIGHTINGS
>
> CONCORD, N.H.  If you see a flock of wild turkeys in New Hampshire  
> this winter, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department would like  
> to hear about it. For the second consecutive year, citizens are  
> being asked to report sightings of turkey flocks seen from now  
> through March 31, 2010, by filling out a simple electronic survey  
> form posted on the Fish and Game website at http://www.wildnh.com/turkeysurvey 
> . You can also reach the survey by going to http://www.wildnh.com  
> and clicking on "2010 Winter Flock Survey." Please do not report  
> multiple sightings of the same flock.
>
> The Winter Flock Survey will bolster Fish and Game's understanding  
> of the abundance and distribution of turkeys during New Hampshire's  
> challenging winter months. The survey asks participants to report  
> the number of turkeys in the flock; the location where they were  
> seen; the type of habitat the birds were observed in; and what the  
> turkeys were feeding on, such as acorns, beechnuts, seed at  
> birdfeeders, or corn silage.
>
> The survey is designed to fill gaps in Fish and Game's existing  
> winter flock data collection efforts. "For parts of the state,  
> especially eastern and northern New Hampshire, we could benefit by  
> additional sighting reports," said Ted Walski, Turkey Project Leader  
> at Fish and Game. "This reporting system will allow the public to  
> contribute important information to our understanding of winter  
> turkey status in an inexpensive, efficient and, hopefully, enjoyable  
> way." Last winter, people responding to the survey reported over  
> 1,500 flocks totaling nearly 24,000 turkeys, and encompassing all  
> areas of the state.
>
> Winter is the best time to census the birds because turkeys gather  
> in large, highly visible flocks at this time of year. Knowledge of  
> the status of wintering turkeys is particularly important in New  
> Hampshire, because of the challenges of severe winter weather and  
> limited natural food supplies. There are an estimated 40,000 wild  
> turkeys in New Hampshire. Turkeys were restored to NH by the Fish  
> and Game Department, beginning in 1975.
>
> For more information on the flock survey, write to Turkey Project  
> Leader Ted Walski at Fish and Game Region 4 Office, 15 Ash Brook  
> Court, Keene, N.H. 03431; or call 603-352-9669.
>
> The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department is the guardian of the  
> state's fish, wildlife and marine resources and their habitats.  
> Visit http://www.wildnh.com.

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