Last week I encountered one of the most heartbreaking sights I've ever seen. At an intersection that gets busy with morning traffic, I noticed at least a dozen wild turkeys, some in full plumage, standing as sentinels all along the curb on my left. They were watching two toms in the road who were standing over a large feathered breast of a hen as far as I could tell.
I thought to myself that that was a sorrowful sight, but it was made even more so when a head lifted slowly up from the supposed dead bird. One of the toms immediately spread his wings around her and beat them as to either comfort, protect, or try to guide her off the concrete. By this time my left turn signal went green and I had to go. I could barely speak and I definitely could not stop the tears. These large wild birds suffered a loss to their own kind and I felt it keenly in my own breast.
P.S. After that emotional morning, I have seen the turkeys almost daily. Many times they are simply standing on the grass, but just as often they are in the road. At 6:30 a.m. the traffic is light and most cars slow down and go around. I've tried honking but it does nothing. I'm afraid that will not be the last wild turkey death in the neighborhood.
