Gobble Gobble

I was on the trail the other day, in a nearby forest, which led me to a meadow.  (These things happen.)  I crossed the meadow and found myself near a roadway.  I decided to walk along the road for a little way and just see what I could see.  As I began to top a little rise, I found these gobblers.

Run for the Forest!  Run!!!

They were out grazing.  Not on grass - they were looking for insects and nuts and such other delicacies as wild turkeys like to eat.  (Think "snails".)  There were four adults - probably hens - and five young ones.

I was thrilled to see them, although they dashed for the woods as fast as their meaty legs would carry them.

I circled back around the clump of brush they had headed into, but for the life of me, I could not find them again.  They are wary birds and were probably just standing there, magnificently camouflaged, and laughing at me.  (Happens to me all the time.)

Word has it that their common name, "turkey", comes from - you guessed it - the country of Turkey!  Ding!  Ding!  Ding!

It's a long story, but here's the short version.  When Europeans first saw this native American bird, it reminded them of a different but similar bird that they had seen in Europe, which had been imported either from or through the country of Turkey.  At least that's the story in the 'hood.