FALMOUTH (AP) – Bold turkeys that have established a home on Mackworth Island are ruffling a few feathers with their aggressive behavior.

Cindy Kaiser was driving onto the island last spring when she encountered a tom turkey blocking the road and guarding a dozen hens.

The turkey went after her and pecked at her station wagon from all sides as she threw the car into reverse and drove down a side street. She ducked under the dashboard, and it took her 20 minutes to dare to sneak a peek out the windshield.

“He was still standing right there,” said Kaiser, who works on the island as a cook at the Governor Baxter School for the Deaf. “It was very intimidating.”

The turkeys, which first arrived 18 months ago, are protected from hunters. They appear to be flourishing in the woods of the 100-acre Casco Bay island that’s home to the school.

Since their arrival, the birds have become something of a nuisance. Turkey droppings are damaging the school’s manicured grounds. Last year, a turkey flew into one of the school’s windows, crashing through the glass and leaving a mess of feathers and blood. Staff members chased the injured bird down a corridor until it escaped through an open fire exit.

School officials sought help a few months ago by contacting the state Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

The school was given some options such as relocating the birds or inviting bow hunters to kill them, but opted to find a way for the birds and people to coexist. By last count, there are 12 birds on the island, and they have been well-behaved so far this school year.

But if the birds do act up, the school has a starter pistol that fires a device that makes a high-pitched screaming sound as it spins through the air. The device is supposed to train birds to be afraid of humans.

The starter pistol has only been fired once or twice, said Peter Gray, the school’s business director. For the most part, the birds are a welcome addition to the island, he said.

“We just wanted to change their behavior so they don’t go to places they shouldn’t,” Gray said.

The children at the school love watching the turkeys and some have done school reports on them.

Until her car was attacked by a turkey, Kaiser enjoyed watching them, too.

“It’s unfortunately now a nerve-racking experience,” she said.

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