Two Tom Turkeys

Watercolor  Two Tom Turkeys  ©2011  Sally Wickham

m

Balmy 45-50° temperatures finally put an end to a two month deep freeze. This morning it is foggy and raining. There is a birdfeeder not far from my kitchen window. Two tom turkeys are scratching through layers of soggy snow for sunflower seeds buried after many winter storms. Meteorologists say it was the snowiest February on record!

It is a weird sight to see these two Jurassic appearing creatures on an archaeological dig but the treasures they are finding seem to satisfy. Every time I glance out the window they are still there giving me a good opportunity to watch them.

This pair of turkeys are very wet and every once in a while they give themselves a good shake. Their bodies are as dark brown as a coffee bean. Their wings are barred--it’s the wing feathers that are easy to spot on the ground when they are shed. Wild turkeys are very alert and they have bright intelligent looking eyes. Their head is featherless, tiny and cannot in any way be described as pretty. Their legs are golden colored. I know that these are male turkeys because of a needlelike protrusion on their chest. This pointy bunch of feathers is called a beard.

The turkeys spend a couple of hours scavenging seeds under the feeder and do not leave until my brother-in-law arrives in his Gator. But I bet they’ll be back!