Birds Of A Feather

A friend of mine, Elaine, on Facebook sent me this message the other day and wanted to share with you and she said...

I drive my grandson to school every morning...down a gravel mountain road, for 7 miles, until I get to the highway, in the Ouachita mountains near Mena, Arkansas. I see all manner of wildlife crossing the road, and it amazes me sometimes, what all is up and creeping around as dawn is breaking.

This morning, I watched a flock of turkeys file across the road, (my half mile driveway) like school kids loading a bus. Not a single one took flight, and some, even stalled and stared at me as I passed slowly. (Obviously, they don't know what turkey pot pie is.) The last one, even stopped a couple of times and leaned backward, looking to see if I was still there. Of all times to not have my camera with me, this was one of them I regretted. I nearly popped my pants button laughing at this particular turkey, strangely enough, stopping and craning his neck backwards, to look!

I know that when it is turkey season for the hunters, they are oblivious, because they have their struts going half the time, and their peckers and claws going at the ground like boll weevils in dung. I also watch them (the turkeys) come from the national forest, across my pasture every morning, pecking and grubbing their way to the lower pasture next door. There are about 15 in this particular flock. They feed on nuts, seeds, fruits, insects, and salamanders.The bright bearded ones really strut their stuff, and they are really beautiful in their colorful plumage.

I am reminded from the sight of them, of the days when the Native Americans hunted these large birds for food. The Europeans liked them so much, they took some back to Europe with them. The turkey was even Benjamin Franklin's choice for the United States's national bird.

So let's talk turkey-

What do turkeys do on sunny days? They go on peck-nics...

Why did the turkey cross the road? (no, not to mate) - to show he was not a chicken!

(I dream of the day when turkeys AND chickens can cross the road, and not have their motives questioned)

Birds of a feather, flock together. So true~In more ways than one.


“I hate turkeys. If you stand in the meat section at the grocery store long enough, you start to get mad a turkeys. There's turkey ham, turkey bologna, turkey pastromi,.Some one needs to tell the turkey, man, just be yourself.”

~author unknown
(Posted from the Senior Center)