Tag: Turkeys

The Return of the Seven

Ham with a side of Cranberry? Really?

I haven’t shared notes about our resident turkeys since The Chuckster and then to mention we hadn’t seen them in a bit. Prior to that, I wrote about Two Toms a’ Struttin’ and noted that, with that much testosterone hanging, turklets (we’ve been instructed they’re not “hatchlings” or some such. The proper translation from Toiga, the primary Turkey language, is “turklet”) were sure to be around.

We’d been hearing turkeys calling each other for a while. Hadn’t seen anyone, though. No turkey signs, either. You know, those signs they carry. Ban Thanksgiving!, Humans are Turkeys, Too!, Support the Turkey Lobby!, and Try Ham with a Side of Cranberry! So Good and So Good for You!.

Anyway, one day as I was working on Gable Smiled and had a sense I was being Turkied. Sure enough, lifting my eyes from my monitor, what do I behold?


There were more than seven, of course. I counted fourteen at one point (they came three times. Wanted to be sure I understood this was to be a turkey-less Thanksgiving this season).

And there were turklets. More like turkteens but still turklets.

Welcome.

Two Toms a’ Struttin’

“I like big breasts.” “Not me, I’m a leg man.”

I mentioned that we hadn’t seen Bill, our resident Tom, for a while in It’s a Good Thing.

We figured something wildlife-ish had happened to Bill. The Girls were around – all 21 of them! – and Bill, alas…no Bill for about a week.

Today, as Boo (our rescue Bassador) and I returned from our walk, I saw a herd (I know, the proper term is flock and these were moving like a herd. I’m an author. Live with it) of Turkeys heading into our backyard.

This didn’t surprise me. Our Turkeys have become the guardians of my writing. For reasons beyond my comprehension (but I’m sure I’ll discover because I’m starting a new story, A Raccoon’s Tale, that involves Three Turkeys playing Macbeth’s witches. Again, I’m an author. I’ve learned to live with it), they show up when I’m writing and leave when I’m finished. As I write off and on all day, it gets quite busy.
Continue reading “Two Toms a’ Struttin’”

Bill, Putting It On for The Ladies

Bill’s got quite the Flock! (Wha-ha wha-ha wha-ha)

Happy Holidays once more, friends.

I’m continuing the thread started with the Eve of Christmas Eve visitation of Ophelia the Opossum and the Christmas Eve visitation of Euste the Fox. This time I’m writing a follow-up to Agnes, Francesca and Bill.

Susan and I woke up Christmas morning with a wonderful, deep, sheltering snowfall causing the trees to bow in honor of WinterMan‘s passing. We don’t celebrate Christmas so much as recognize its cultural meaning, its significance in the collective consciousness. We also recognize the meaning of turkeys in many traditional and aboriginal ways of thinking.

Imagine our joy when, looking out on the backyard, we saw not only Agnes and Francesca with their man, Bill, but quite the flock as well!

 
Quite the Man there, Bill, putting it on for The Ladies! (I’d say he’s my hero, but there’s a bit more to the story…)

You think any of them are paying attention? I did notice one, Gladys, almost fall over towards him as she twaddled past.

I mean, you know he’s not out there in the woods selling bagels at night, right?

(…more to the story)
Agnes, Francesca and Bill returned the day after Christmas and today much of the flock returned, Bill again putting it on for The Ladies. We watched from the kitchen window as we were making lunch, amazed at the energy expenditure required to strut like that.

So to impress Susan, I released my internal Bill and strutted around the kitchen for her.

Two things. One, damn near threw my back out.

Two: An overpowering urge to do an Elvis Presley impersonation.

I mean, just look at Bill. Imagine putting a microphone in his hand with a guitar hanging at his side.

Wha-ha wha-ha wha-ha.

Agnes, Francesca and Bill

Somebody’s following those fine looking ladies

I wrote about Agnes, our resident wild turkey, a few posts back and that Agnes brought along her friend, Francesca.

Well, things were obviously pretty good at Chez Carrabis because the other day we woke up to see Bill out there with the girls.

Bill the Turkey
It’s Bill, not William. Just Bill

I didn’t know we had any mature Toms although I shouldn’t have been surprised; any Tom would be drawn to the vicinity of two such attractive ladies.

I went out to greet him. When I asked his name, I thought he said “Roger” (probably some errant chipmunk not getting enough seed).

“I bet your pardon?” I said.

“My name’s Bill.”

Being polite, I said, “Hello, William.”

He quickly corrected me, “It’s Bill, just Bill,” and he held out a wing. He had a good, firm wingshake. Obviously a bird of business, a serious bird, one to be dealt with squarely, probably good with a bread&bourbon stuffing.

Bill harrumphed at that and joined the ladies.


That’s Agnes in front at her seed pile. Francesca’s in back. Bill comes in about 12s in

Agnes and Francesca

Some fine lookin’ ladies, these.

I wrote about Agnes, our resident wild turkey, a few posts back. The past few days Agnes has brought along her friend, Francesca.

Agnes and Francesca
That’s Agnes in back. Francesca’s in front.

Agnes, on her own, is quite cordial and talkative with us. She waddles up to the porch windows, stares in, warbles to get our attention then walks back to her spot (where we put seed out for her and her alone. She does dine with Francesca. We suspect they have a history) and scratches the earth to let us know she’s out of seed.

Demanding little hen, yes?

Also quite protective. A while back a chipmunk went after her seed. When such occurs she performs what we call “The Chippie War Dance” and sometimes “The Fluff and Run”.

I prefer Chippie War Dance myself (and please excuse the blurry image. Wildlife photographer I am not).

We expect Francesca will be more directly communicative shortly. Especially as she realizes Agnes can ask for and get seed from us with little more than a warble, wink, cluck and scratch.

But as I wrote in Nothing Ever Dies of Old Age in The Wild, one will discover things in The Wild that one wishes one hadn’t.

Nothing dies of old age in The Wild

Case in point, about a week back I noticed that Bess wasn’t joining her mother and siblings when I put out peanuts, dog food and cookies. I saw her in back, under cover, in the dark.

I called to her and she didn’t move. I talked to her and walked towards her, a cookie in my open hand so she could see it, and tossed it in front of her. She barely came forward and wasn’t able to hold the cookie in her paws. She couldn’t get it to her mouth and I knew then that something had happened, that she was injured and probably wouldn’t last.

The past four nights Heckie, Sheldon, Veronica and Porgy have joined us in the backyard, but no Bess.

And yes, I mourn.

But nothing ever dies of old age in The Wild.