If you live on Staten Island's east shore, chances are you've got a turkey story.

With hundreds of the wild animals roaming around near Staten Island University Hospital, it has become the norm to see them crossing the street or walking down the sidewalk.  

But Dongan Hills resident Richard Gambardella's situation may be the fowl-est.

The 71-year-old homeowner was returning from a doctor's appointment Monday afternoon when he noticed something brown behind a bush on his front lawn. 

He poked at it a bit and found it was a massive turkey sitting atop 16 of her eggs.

"She jumped out because she probably thought I as going to disturb the nest," Gambardella recalled.

Gambardella says he called 311, and was told to call the ASPCA. 

They told him they couldn't help.

Turns out, a state permit is required to remove the bird and its eggs, which Gambardella doesn't have. 

But he's very concerned. As an expecting mother the animal is protective and aggressive.

"If I'm by myself, and I go near her, and she raises, you saw her feathers come up, that means she was ready to go," Gambardella said.

Just a few years ago, the state Department of Environmental Conservation removed dozens of the birds and relocated them to a sanctuary upstate, all in an effort to curb Staten Island's turkey population. 

It's a plan residents say failed miserably.

"My mom; she almost hit a turkey by accident," noted one Staten Island resident.

"They really have to like, like, take them back where they came from. Get them out of Staten Island," added another Staten Island resident.

Experts estimate there are hundreds of turkeys living in the borough — numbers that are expected to grow with mating season right around the corner.

As for the mother hen that's now roosting on Gambardella's lawn, the DEC tells NY1 that a volunteer from an upstate sanctuary has offered to capture the turkey and remove her and her eggs from his property.

All he has to do is call them — something Gambardella says he'll do before the eggs hatch.