A very different turkey on Thanksgiving

Thursday was the Thanksgiving holiday in the US, a day that traditionally includes overindulging on a turkey dinner. As anyone who has participated in a grade school play knows, the holiday is supposed to symbolize the meal the Pilgrims shared with the Native Americans who befriended them and helped them survive their first harsh winter. The turkey somehow became a centerpiece of the feast and, as perhaps only Americans can do, we created a whole new species of turkey to satisfy our desire for bigger and better. Hence, we now feast on a bird that is incredibly distanced from the wild turkey that the Pilgrims knew. That wild turkey was so admired that Benjamin Franklin wanted it as our national symbol. The Bald Eagle, of course, was chosen and then we almost wiped out that species. We have a strange way of showing our appreciation don’t we?

I’ve strayed from the point of my story! So, Thursday was Thanksgiving and I looked forward to having a traditional dinner with my family. But my family decided that Thanksgiving would be celebrated this year on Sunday, which left me with no plans for the actual holiday. So I headed to the Wichita Mountains — my very favorite place to find a better attitude.

I had a wonderful day and was treated to a Rock Wren, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, and some spectacular views of buffalo, white-tailed deer and elk. But I also came across two wild turkeys who let me take photos of them as they foraged in the grasses. They were my Thanksgiving gift and I’m delighted to share a photo. This is what a real turkey looks like!