Actually, I knew it was there more than a week earlier. It was in New York, 15 feet outside my niece's back yard. Her boys discovered it when they were playing wiffle ball. They were looking for a ball and the hen came after them, hissing. At first one kid thought it was a 'possum.
I wanted to put a camera on it, but by the time I got there the chicks had hatched out and the whole family was gone. Almost the whole family, anyway. Of the 13 eggs, seven had hatched, neatly cut open at the large end, and six were intact.
I picked them up to shake them and it sounded like soup inside -- a thick liquid concoction that never turned into a baby turkey.
I tried taking pictures of the nest, but it was well covered by sticks and green leaves, with just enough room under the cover for the hen to sit without being seen. She did a great job hiding it, which suggests she's an experienced mother. Other factors suggest she wasn't very experienced -- within 15 feet of a yard with a couple of boys playing ball in it every day, a backhoe digging a hole, and contractors working on installing a pool. She was taking a chance there, but maybe when she chose the spot, the boys were not playing outside much and the work had not started.
Anyway, it was a modestly successful hatch, just over 50%.
Steve.
