Wild Turkey Sightings Becoming More and More Common in Alameda

Wild turkey sightings are becoming commonplace in Alameda.

“I see them out on my kitchen window, walking on my grass or my next door neighbors,” said Colette of Alameda. 

Residents seem to have adjusted to life with their feathery friends - but admit, they can be a distraction.

“I walk our dog around and suddenly there’s a pack of three or four wild turkeys running around,” said Victor Gonzalez of Alameda. “Cars have to wait for them at the intersection to cross through.”

Ernesto Castillo lives in the area and shared a picture of a turkey walking in front of a Thanksgiving display.

“Last year we saw two big turkeys, but now it’s only one. Like a mom with six babies,” he said.

Daniel Wilson with Alameda County’s Vector Control said the turkeys aren’t native to California and were introduced decades ago by the state’s Fish and Game Commission to encourage recreational hunting.

But over time, those turkeys migrated to more urban areas for obvious reasons.

“It’s easy to find food, there’s no mountain lion or bobcat chasing them,” said Wilson. 

This year alone, the county has received 24 complaints from residents regarding turkeys -- that's an 80% jump compared to a decade ago.

And unfortunately, there’s not much the county can do about ‘em.

“It has to go through California wildlife to relocate the birds, which is quite rare,” said Wilson. 

But with very few reports of “fowl” play, it doesn’t appear that locals are too concerned about the turkeys.

“It’s cool,” said Gonzalez. “I think people know, it’s just a bunch of wild turkeys running around.”

“I feel you just give them their space and they go on their merry way,” said Colette.