Everybody knows Martha’s Vineyard is a beautiful and
peaceful place. No surprises there. What came as a surprise when I arrived is
the enormous number of wild turkeys living here. I don’t mean geeky guys in
double knit pants. I mean live gangs of large birds strutting around like they
own the place. It’s amazing to see.
We had 40 of them
in the front yard one morning last fall. It was all I could do not to grab a
loaf of bread and feed them like ducks on a pond. They aren’t pretty birds but
they command your attention. I wish I had a dollar for every time I had to keep
the car idling while they passed in front of me. Believe me, they don’t appear
to be in a hurry. And they’re loud.
One of the first
things that came to mind when I noticed the turkey population for the first
time was how all my old neighbors in Upstate New York would react to them. Bows
and shotguns would have been grabbed and a fine meal had by all. Not here. On
the Island people treat houseflies like invited guests so we don’t mess with
the turkeys.
That’s not to say
they aren’t a known nuisance though. The local paper even reports on the turkey
tribulations from time to time. You can find headlines that read something like
“Police called on violent turkey”. Apparently they are so used to the humans
here that they have taken over front porches and walkways, getting a little
aggressive if you try to get in their way, kind of like a nasty mother-in-law.
I love to watch the
turkeys fly. It’s awesome. It gives me hope when I see something so heavy take
flight. It’s incredible to see them flying up onto your rooftop and perching
there like some kind of live weathervane.
It’s even more awesome when they fly up into the treetops for a good
night’s sleep.
I think I may be a little
envious of the turkeys. They have the run of the Island and they seem to find plenty
of food and shelter here without spending a million dollars, unlike everybody
else. They’ve got a pretty cushy deal here.
Really though, you
can’t help but like them. They’ve got gumption. I see why Benjamin Franklin favored the turkey over the eagle to
represent the U.S. Can you imagine an eagle chasing you off your front porch?
Comments