I returned from grocery shopping yesterday on a very frigid, gray afternoon. The mercury never rose above 38 degrees, and I shivered miserably, begrudgingly acknowledging Old Man Winter at my doorstep. Lugging my bags in, as I set them on the kitchen counter I gazed out the glass door leading to the back yard and saw something move. In the span of about one second, I first thought they were big dogs in the yard, then wild boars, until one craned its long neck up to look around. The realization finally hit that they were a flock (or, a 'herd,' as I laughingly described them later to my husband) of free-roaming, wild turkeys.
And dear lord, they were HUUUGE. I mean, really. I had no idea that seeing them so close would render unto me the realization of their enormity. These are not dainty birds in the least, folks!
I froze, not wanting them to spot me lurking in the shadows and run off, so I waited until the leader lowered its head again to continue foraging. Then I very quietly grabbed the new camera that Mark bought me, and as stealthily as I could, crept into our little downstairs bathroom to aim the lens out the window, whereupon I took a few quick shots of these magnificent birds. I counted at least nine of them. Though in my childlike fascination I yearned greatly to walk with them and toss out some grain and stale bread crumbs to supplement their meager lawn foraging, I knew that was not to be, so instead I remained silently watching as they purposefully made their way down the back slope of the yard to the entrance of our woods, where they trotted down the path until, at last, were gone from my sight.
Sigh... an awesome show 'twas!
So far, I've spotted an abundance of deer and fawns, red foxes, moles, squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, and a wide variety of birds as either visitors or residents of our property. Let's add turkey to the list. How I hope they come back soon! Mark and I already have plans to lay out some feed for them (and of course for the rest of the animals) during the winter.
