I have been fascinated with the life history, habitat and wanderings of the wild turkey. Two years ago, Tom the turkey strutted into our habitat along the brow of the Thames River.
It was breakfast time and Tom peered into the window-lined dining room, tapping on the windows in hope of an invitation to come in and dine. There appeared to be secretion coming from his bill as he played a game of x’s and o’s on each pane. Even today, Tom is still a frequent visitor.
Last evening, the riddle of the wild turkey’s origins was solved on the CBC’s program, “Ideas”. Apparently, in 1980, a biologist who worked for Natural Resources in Norfolk County, gathered with some tobacco farmers who visited from Virginia. The Virginians noted that the sandy scrub pine area was much like their own land where the wild turkey roamed.
In their research in 1980, four men discovered that wild turkeys had inhabited Norfolk County in the 1800s but had become extinct. They began to examine the possibility of reintroducing wild turkeys into the Norfolk area. Through much negotiating with government etc., turkeys were imported to the county where they multiplied and flourished. Obviously, they liked the environment as they roamed north into south western Ontario.
Today, hunters are licensed to hunt the wild turkey in the spring and fall hunting seasons but are restricted in the number of birds harvested. During the spring season, only male birds are hunted as the females are guarding fertilized eggs which will become the new chicks.
For the present, Tom and Tillie Turkey are our guests, wandering out of the nearby woods, nipping on the lush grasses that grow near our home. Tom, a bit vain and peacock style, struts his stuff but we enjoy his presence.
Sr. Eileen Foran
Photo by Paul Sturkenboom
This morning, Tom turkey and his brother-in-law shuffled past the dining room window, looking frail, ruffled and worn. As they dragged themselves along the sidewalk, they seemed to be collaborating seriously. I have a feeling that the brother-in-law is an American, since the wild turkeys in Middlesex County, according to environmental experts, have roots in Virginia USA.