On the usual route from the city to our home in the 'burbs' we pass by several homes that either back up to a wooded tract or are spaced about 100 feet apart. One of these homes has several domesticated chickens that hang around the yard doing whatever chickens do. About a week before Thanksgiving Day, my wife and I were driving by and spotted a turkey, a jake, scratching and pecking along with the chickens.
It was an amusing sight to see this lone jake, four times the size of the chickens, feeding with them. He showed no particular concern about the passing cars as he and his smaller dining buddies worked the lawn only 10 feet from the road. No nearby flock was ever seen by us. This time of the year, turkeys flock together, move around, and establish wintering grounds. That's the reason it was so unusual to see a lone turkey.
Every day we would see the jake picking through the grass with chickens. My wife observed that such behavior could only be the result of superior intelligence. She figured the turkey was hiding from hunters. With Thanksgiving only a week away, passing himself off as a chicken was a stroke of genus genius, so to speak. She named him Nemo, after the Disney Pixar character who hid from dangers among his friends.
After Thanksgiving, both the chickens and Nemo disappeared. We don't think they were victims of the homeowner. Snow came early this year, so the chickens most likely treated to their hutch. As for Nemo, we wish him well, wherever he is. Each time we pass, we look toward the house with hopeful anticipation.
Royal Dun
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