Here we are between the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, and we all know what that means . . . turkey diners with all the trimmings. It seems as I wait for Christmas, the wild turkey population around New Gretna gets more testy and aggressive as they roam from out West Road and up North Maple Avenue to Leektown. It's as if they sense the threat of the season to their survival. As I look out in my yard, I see the birds at their best and at their worst.
They can be entertaining and look beautiful . . .
. . . or they can be annoying and a nuisance, as was the case the last holiday season when my friend, Charles, from Toms River, came for a visit. I was sitting in my living room, anticipating that he would be knocking on the front door shortly, when the phone rang. Upon hearing Charles say hello, I wondered where he was calling from, as he was usually prompt and was now a few minutes late. I asked if he was held up by an accident on the Parkway or some other traffic mishap. "No", he replied, "I'm calling from my cell phone and am right outside in your driveway. There's turkeys here, and they won't let me out of my car. I'm trapped. Help!"
Being from the "big city", Charles had never seen wild turkeys and wasn't about to take any chances, as the noisy birds circled around his car. I went out and chased them away, and we had a good laugh about the situation. Ever since then, I believe Charles gives a little shiver and listens for a gobble every time he pulls into my driveway.
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The wild turkeys circled around Charles' car in my driveway.
I've heard that, some time ago, the gregarious gobblers were after Karl Swanseen while he was jogging along North Maple Avenue, causing him to flag down a passing car for refuge. Too bad he doesn't jog with a camera. I would have loved a photo of that!
Anyone else have any stories and/or photos of the wild turkeys around New Gretna? Email them to me, so we can share them on the blog.
Pete S.