Walking through Battery Park, at the southern tip of Manhattan, this morning, I spotted this bird calmly watching passers-by on the footpath, and evidently unaware of the impending holiday.
OK, you don't believe this is a real, live bird? Here it is a minute before the previous shot.
Update: Rundeep points out that wild turkeys are once again common in the eastern states. I know this is true, because whenever we've made a wintertime visit to my in-laws, who moved to Massena, New York a couple of years ago, we've seen a flock of turkeys traversing their back yard, heading next door to where their neighbor puts out food for them.
Several things struck me as odd about this bird. First, although it was on a bit of parkland, it was in the most densely urbanized place in North America. Second, it was alone, while wild turkeys are usually seen in flocks. Third, it displayed no wariness of the people walking by on a path only thirty or so feet away. Finally, while it had the coloration of a wild bird rather than the white plumage of most farm-raised ones, it looked very well fed.
Claude: As you probably know, wild turkeys have been reintroduced all along the Eastern Seaboard. They seem to be thriving. When we were in Martha's Vineyard this summer, we saw an entire family, about 7 strong, marching through the yard. I asked my husband what the proper name was for a group of turkeys. His unhesitating response? "A law firm."
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