Talkin' Turkey

Tom struts his stuff.

Tom and a friend,

Tom the turkey and his small flock have been making themselves much more visible in the last few days. Tom is a big tom (pun intended) who I presume is the leader of the flock. First Catherine saw a turkey hen two days in a row pecking at the bird seed that has fallen off our deck. Then around noon today Tom and two other turkeys sauntered across the lawn just below the house. Later this evening the whole flock of 8 turkeys crossed in the opposite direction before strolling into the woods to roost. Despite being Ben Franklin's favorite bird, turkeys are pretty darn ugly, a cross between a vulture and a big chicken. Ben, as you remember, wanted the turkey and not the bald eagle to be our national bird. I can't remember why. Less war-like? Skittish and wary? Easier to hunt and better to eat? In any case, the turkey has become our national bird in a sense. It is after all the traditional meat for both Thanksgiving and Xmas. In a certain sense I guess Ben got his way after all.