Turkey Time

I have been reading about urban areas in lock-down having their public areas over-taken with animals.  Monkeys in China that had been fed bananas by tourists were swarming the empty streets scavenging for whatever they could find to eat (hundreds and hundreds of them).  I've been heartened to see the wildlife coming out and flourishing in Yosemite -- wolves especially.  Of course once life returns to normal, they will be pushed out and possibly even more endangered.

Closer to home, I am delighted that our  neighborhood turkey is back (pictured here, at the house across the street from us)!  OK, maybe it's a different one from last year, but I like to think it's the same.  My guess is he lives in the industrial wooded area west of our house.  One end of our street is residential/business, while the other end passes through an industrial swath.  I believe the turkey is able to safely cross the road when traffic is light, so he comes to our area in order to munch on fresh grass, flowers and maybe some discarded food here and there.

I was driving home from a river walk with Teddy and saw him crossing the road, and luckily, a semi-trailer slowed in time to miss him.  While I'm not sure this is a him, I have definitely personalized the bird.  His interaction with developed life is probably more happenstance than a direct result of human territory infringement -- we are as developed here as we've been for decades, so there is not a lot of sprawl in our immediate area to have displaced a natural habitat.  However, there are areas not too far away where industrial development is taking over natural habitats.

What, you might say, does this have to do with the virus?  Everything -- wildlife that can pass disease on to human populations is an issue because we take away natural habitat.  While I find comfort in seeing my bird alive (and I do enjoy watching him poke his head through my gate periodically), I also feel badly that this seems to be a lone bird separated/in solitude because of human development.  At camp, I see turkeys in flocks.  Not alone like this one.  I don't know how he got to be near us, but I'm sure it's not really a great sign that he is here.

But for now, since we are at home more, it is probably safer for him to roam -- and it makes me happy when I do see him poking around.  Gobble gobble!