Keeping wild turkeys wild

Excerpts from the Globe's environmental blog.

In honor of Thanksgiving - and the constant stream of complaints wildlife officials get about the wild version of our holiday meal - this little item will be about how to avoid the big birds from pecking at your heels this holiday season.

The good news is that wild turkeys have made a stunning comeback after being wiped out in the state by the mid-1800s from hunting and loss of habitat. Today, there are about 20,000-25,000 birds in Massachusetts. The bad news is that the wild turkeys have moved into Brookline, Newton, and other suburbs where they are terrorizing residents.

No one ever guessed turkeys would become comfortable in urban and suburban areas . . . . Biologists thought these are very wary birds, there is no way they would get used to people," said Marion Larson, a biologist at MassWildlife. "But they found food in those places and they stayed."

The birds - classified as game birds, with regulated hunting seasons - can be 3 or 4 feet tall and weigh up to 20 pounds. And they can be very aggressive.

Massachusetts Audubon Wildlife Information Line coordinator Linda Cocca says giving wild turkeys food - directly or leaving it on the ground for them - makes them more aggressive. Here are other tips from Mass Wildlife:

Don't let the turkeys intimidate you. You can scare or threaten a bold turkey with loud noises, swatting with a broom, or water sprayed from a hose. A dog on a leash is also effective.

If a turkey is pecking at a shiny object such as a vehicle or window, cover or otherwise disguise the object.

To protect your garden, try netting, along with the other scare options.

Pass this information along: Your efforts will be futile if neighbors are providing food for turkeys or neglecting to act boldly toward the birds. It requires the efforts of the entire neighborhood to help keep wild turkeys wild.

BETH DALEY

A federal agency will provide up to $5 million in disaster aid to Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine to compensate shellfishermen for losses this year due to toxic algal blooms commonly known as the "red tide."

Massachusetts is eligible for up to $2 million from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Fisheries Service.

The outbreak of algal blooms led to the closures of clam, mussel, and oyster fishing grounds from Cape Cod to central Maine, including - for the first time in decades - Boston Harbor. Many of the areas have reopened to fishing, but some remain off-limits. The closures were instated after shellfish were found to be contaminated with a single-cell algae that can be lethal to humans if ingested.

Maine will be eligible for up to $2 million in assistance, and New Hampshire up to $1 million.

BINA VENKATARAMAN