Turkeys Terrorize NASA Research Center In Mountain View

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA — Wild turkeys occupy about one-fifth of California and are a "highly valued upland game bird," according to state wildlife officials. But don't say that to NASA researchers in Mountain View, California, who have been pestered by the brazen birds for years.

In recent months, about two dozen turkeys pecked at cars, left fecal matter near buildings and blocked traffic near NASA’s Ames Research Center, the Mercury News reported. One of 10 NASA field centers, the Mountain View facility is an active research laboratory that studies and aeronautics, exploration technology and science.

But people are feeding the turkeys — flouting signs that say it's a no-no — and the birds have taken roost at the center, making that vital mission a bit more difficult. And they've reportedly even disrupted flights at Moffett Federal Airfield.

The turkeys have been on the site since at least November 2018. To commemorate Thanksgiving that year, the Ames center tweeted that the birds paraded around the facility "all the time." Photo evidence showed several pesky fowls seemingly walking tall in the parking lot, as well as near a pressure tunnel.

"The world-class research center is home to a rafter of wild turkeys," the center said.

And in February 2019, the Mountain View Voice reported that the birds had left behind what it called a scene of avian squalor: a mess of fecal matter and feathers in the breezeway of the center's auditorium.

"The turkeys were just out there doing their thing over the course of the shutdown," Deb Feng, Ames associate center director, told the news outlet. "Our janitors and caretakers had to come clean it up. It would've been a hazard if we just left it there."

Rachel Hoover, a spokeswoman for the center, told the Mercury News the turkeys likely lay eggs at a creek nearby.

Now, the U.S. Department of Agriculture must step in to trap and move the birds, the newspaper reported.

“This is kind of a unique situation,” Ken Paglia, a spokesperson for state Department of Fish and Wildlife, told the Mercury news. “In general, wild turkeys aren’t something we actively manage. If someone has a wild turkey in their front yard, our default isn’t to take it and relocate it somewhere else."

Adult wild turkeys can be quite heavy, weighing upward of 20 pounds. They're known to destroy flowers and vegetable gardens, leave droppings, roost on cars and leave scratches in pristine paint jobs. Turkeys are also known to become aggressive during breeding season — occasionally even "charging, threatening, and acting aggressively toward people,"according to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Trouble begins when people feed turkeys.

"A few stray visitors soon become a flock of permanent residents that have lost their natural fear of humans," the agency's website states.

Wildlife officials recommend preventing a turkey takeover by discouraging the birds from becoming too comfortable. This includes removing food sources, installing motion-detecting sprinklers and even introducing a dog to the area. Should an unsuspecting person come upon a fearless wild turkey, an open umbrella can help steer it out of the way.