THE TURKEY HERD evolves as the seasons change. In spring, there are individual turkeys wandering through the ‘hoods, but by fall, they amass into giant throngs, 20-30 strong.
Our town has some 4800 human residents (318/square mile). I don’t know how many deer and coyotes we have per square mile, but I can recall about 25 or so deer bedded down in our “back 40” during the deep snows last winter, and the local paper had a shot of five coyotes who gathered in the backyard of one resident for a noonday portrait. Our own deer completely enjoyed our hospitality: they ate everything in sight, and walked single-file along the stone wall along the back edge of the property. I hope that deer spoor makes a good fertilizer, because we had plenty of it.
Each year around Thanksgiving, turkeys begin to herd up. We’ve seen them in groups of 1, 2, or maybe half a dozen throughout the spring and summer, but now they seem to seek safety in numbers, and the herds can grow to 20 or 30 in the fall. Not just on our street, but all over town.
Down East Street there’s a dependable flock with a population of at least 12 that inhabits the front yard of a certain gray bungalow. And I had to stop and wait the other morning as a group of (I counted about 22) sauntered (again, single-file) across the road while traffic waited in both directions
Down East Street there’s a dependable flock with a population of at least 12 that inhabits the front yard of a certain gray bungalow. And I had to stop and wait the other morning as a group of (I counted about 22) sauntered (again, single-file) across the road while traffic waited in both directions
We got a blurry shot of the herd as it crossed our driveway: it’s hard to grab a crisp shot when the turkeys are in full retreat. They move fast. Perhaps they know that Turkey Day is approaching.
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